White Roses
by Lady DiMera
Summary: A ghost from the past helps Tony Dimera find love and redemption...
1. Ghosts

I believe in ghosts. Not the kind in the movies that rattle chains or haunt houses. Ghosts quite frankly are not that simplistic. Nevertheless, they exist. They live in your mind, dance in your dreams and drive you mad. They are merciless until they get whatever it is that they need to find peace.

I know this...for my own ghost has seemed to be with me for as long as I could remember.

As I rifled through the yellowed newspaper clippings from _The Salem Chronicle_, she seemed to be so close to me that I could almost feel her whispery breath at my ear for I was being consumed by a world in the past. _Her_ world.

With trembling hands, I turned from one ghastly headline to the next...

DIMERA HEIRESS STABBED TO DEATH

BLOODBATH AT WEALTHY MANSION

SERIAL KILLER SPREE IN SALEM

As I picked through some of the photographs, Renee Dimera was indeed hauntingly beautiful with her dark long black tresses hanging down her back, her big doe-like brown eyes gleaming with unspoken secrets. And she seemed to be looking directly at me from those faded images, taunting me, beckoning me...

_What do you want from me, Renee? What will it take for us both to be at peace?_

The details of Renee Dimera's untimely death were well known. Indeed, they had become part of Salem history as they were the first series of events leading to Stefano Dimera's reign of terror. She had been inadvertently killed by Andre Dimera, erstwhile nephew of Stefano Dimera, identical twin to Tony Dimera. So where was the mystery? Why was this spirit tormenting me?

"AH HA!!!"

The sudden outburst made me jump. The moldy Records Department at the _London Spectator_ was dark and gloomy, at best, being part of a historic building that was centuries old. All of the spiders and cobswebs didn't help matters either.

Jack Deveraux stood before me with a smug expression on his face.

"Uh oh, looks like you're busted," he smirked.

I yearned to tell him off with a sarcastic comeback, but he was still my boss. And I was indeed caught red-handed.

The editor of the London Spectator was not entirely a happy camper, his arms folded across his chest as he glared at me in his sardonic fashion.

"So Vern was right!" Jack harrumphed. "You have been snooping around a story where you don't belong. In the Dimera files..."

"I don't know what you mean, Jack..." I started, batting my eyelashes, hoping innocent little girl ploys would work on him. "What's wrong with researching the Dimera files?"

"I have dealt with pesky cub reporters and teenage girls, Miss McDaniel...so I know all of the little lies and stall tactics. You know all stories on the Dimeras are off limits at this paper. I've made no secret of that. So what's the story? You're planning some sort of exposé, no doubt?"

Struggling to put the large accordion file of clippings on the top shelf of the bookcase, I felt myself break out into a sweat. Wearing high heels and pantyhose was not exactly the appropriate attire for power lifiting. Giving up the pointless struggle, I had no choice but to keep holding the weighty monstrosity to my chest.

"Look, Jack...you know..." I strained my brain, trying to come up with a way out of this mess. "Vern can get so melodramatic at times. This is not an exposé exactly."

He did not look convinced.

For the last two years of my employment at the _London Spectator_, I had greatly admired Jack Deveraux for his intelligence, his wit and cunning, his sense of humor. He was a mentor and a friend. And I respected him a great deal. But at this particular moment, I wished he wasn't so darned smart!

"Oh? Well, why else would you be digging into the old family dirt and crypts of the Dimeras in the Records Department?"

He bent down and gingerly picked up an old clipping that had floated to the floor.

"Even scrounging about into the shady old articles of the _Salem Chronicle_, nonetheless. I credited you with better taste."

I couldn't resist a small smile. Even now, Jack had to take a jab at his old competition in Salem. Which inspired me to my next strategy. Jack was nothing if not ambitious. Perhaps I should go along with the suspicions Vern had about a Dimera story. That certainly was better than the truth.

"OK, Jack," I shrugged, starting with my 'confession' and quickly grabbing the clipping out of his grasp. "I know you have some sort of hang-up about writing about the Dimeras, but..."

"Hang-up!" he interrupted, the Deveraux temper started to unleash itself. "Miss Daniels, this is not as you so quaintly put it a 'hang-up'. It is the POLICY of out paper that..."

"I know, I know..." I interrupted,."...that there are no articles to be written about the Dimeras at any time...for some mysterious reason..."

"That's right."

"Even though EJ Wells is rumored to be the son of Stefano and is the hottest story of the year...and he lived right here in London for a while! This is relevant news that people, that Londoners... here are interested in.

"I don't care if EJ tries to behead the Queen of England!" Jack bellowed. "No Dimera name is going to be written about in this newspaper."

"Jack, I know you have 'issues' with Tony Dimera..."

Jack snorted at my use of the word 'issues'.

"...But you are really losing objectivity here. Don't you realize that we are the only newspaper in the country that has not written one article about the John Black shooting or about EJ Wells or about...?"

"And it's going to stay that way!" Jack insisted, pointing at me, his blue eyes flaring with anger. "I am a businessman, but trust me, there are some stories that are just not worth the danger or the aggravation. Take it from someone who knows this first hand. And no matter what this says..."

Jack glanced at the file I was holding and then stopped, lost in thought.

"Wait a minute, this isn't even about EJ Wells, is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"All of our recent stuff is scanned onto disks and stored on the computer. But that..." He pointed at the accordion file. "That has to be at least a decade old."

Before I could respond, he tried to grab the file from me.

"Hey, wait a minute!" I cried out. "Jack!"

"Fall of 1982," he announced, having seen the label on the outside of the file. "What exactly are you up to?"

I hurriedly grabbed the accordion file from Jack. Then gingerly, I climbed onto a nearby footstool, regardless of my heels, attempting to return the file to its rightful place on the uppermost shelf of the bookcase, even if I had to break my neck to do it.

"Nothing, Jack! Jeez, why can't you just forget about..."

The weight of the file caused my right arm to cramp. Disaster struck as the whole file crashed down onto the floor, various papers and pictures flying all about in a whirlwind.

_Was fate responsible for what happened next? Bad luck perhaps? Or was it you, Renee, once more trying to guide my life into your willful direction?_

A blown-up photo still of Renee Dimera in all her glory rested right at Jack's feet. It was a picture taken of her the last night of her life. She was dressed in a black velvet gown with a silver sequined lining and ostrich feathers, her hair piled high upon her head, diamond earrings dangling along her neck. She looked like royalty, like a princess from times past, staring knowingly out into space as if she knew all the trouble she had just caused.

"What?"

Jack looked down at the photograph in confusion and then at me. It took a moment for the realization to strike him. And then his eyes widened as he gaped at me with amazement.

"My God!" he exclaimed. "That's Renee Dimera, isn't it? And you look just like her!"

What could I say? It was absolutely true. Renee Dimera could have been my twin.

At that moment, Jack Deveraux, my gruff editor who liked nothing more to infuriate and boss me around, looked terrified of me. It broke my heart, to see him looking at me like I had just turned into a cockroach or something.

"You're one of...THEM, aren't you?!" Jack backed away from me in horror, pointing. "Y-y-you're one of THEM!"

"Jack," I sighed, trying to keep my cool, even while my nerves felt impossibly stretched. "Please just let me explain..."

"No, don't explain! I don't want to hear your lies. You're a Dimera and a liar! Just get the hell out of here!"

He stormed off as if fending off an attack from a vampire bat.

"But, Jack..."

I tried to hold back a helpless sob of frustration, to no avail.

"You're fired! Leave me alone and leave my family alone!"

* * *

And Jack Deveraux was absolutely right. I am a Dimera.

For all of my life, my adoptive parents tried to give me enough love and attention to keep me from asking questions about the Pandora's Box of my past. And for the most part, their efforts worked. That is, until they both died in a car crash due to a drunk driver on a New Year's Eve five years ago. After the months of tears and grief, I finally set about going through their belongings to put away. That is when I found my adoption papers. Perhaps to find some sort of outlet to escape all of the sadness, I began to dig into my own past. And soon, what started as an escape turned into an obsession.

In this day and age of the Internet and genealogical studies, it has become easier than ever to trace one's past. Secrets are no longer as easily kept. And so I began chipping away at the clues, going down one path to the next. And the journey was not an inexpensive one. After a while, the websites were no longer of help to me. I had to hire genealogical specialists and detectives. I am ashamed to say that my parents would not have been happy to know that I was spending my inheritance finding out about the secrets that they had worked so hard to shelter me from.

Imagine my surprise when one of the detectives showed me a photograph of the woman who I suppose is my deceased aunt, my ghost, my mirror image, Renee Dimera.

Perhaps that moment was when Renee began to truly haunt me.

When researching the history of the Dimeras, most of the information I came up with was that Lee Dumonde only had one child by Stefano Dimera – Renee, who she had passed off as her sister for years while living in Georgia. But my newly dug up information revealed that was not true. There was another child, Charlotte Dumonde, a twin sister. That twin was my mother.

My biological mother's story was a sad one. Charlotte had not been as fortunate as I was. Illegally adopted, her parents turned out to be abusive drug users. At the age of five, social workers took her away from the parents. She was shuffled off from one set of foster parents to the next. As a teenager, she turned to drugs and prostitution. I was an unwanted pregnancy from one of her clients that she couldn't afford to abort. After having me, she gave me away for adoption. Perhaps resulting from guilt and postpartum depression, she committed suicide shortly after that.

Just one more sordid tale to add to the Dimera history...

I should have left well enough alone. After all, I never really knew Charlotte as a mother. What was she to me? I had loving parents who had given me everything I had ever needed, including a good college education where I got my degree in journalism. What did it matter if I was a Dimera? After all, being related to a notorious crime family was nothing to brag about. And I was a shameful footnote in their family tree. Stefano Dimera would sooner kill me than welcome me into his family with open arms.

But I couldn't let the knowledge go. I began to read everything I could about the Dimeras. Unfortunately, a lot of the information I could readily get hold of were unfounded news stories and unauthorized biographies, which made for great entertainment but did not satisfy my insatiable need to know about my family history.

Was it my obsession with the Dimera past and their victims in Salem that led me to apply for the position of journalist at the London Spectator? It was no secret that Jack Deveraux had some sort of mysterious connection with Tony Dimera. Getting the job had been an incredible stroke of good luck. But my employment at the newspaper only led to more questions rather than answers. Both Jack and Jennifer Deveraux would get very quiet and nervous if I even so much as made a reference to a Dimera. And Vern once took me to the side and warned me that it was a touchy subject, and that I would do well not to remind them of that particular time in their lives. Harold then proceeded to tell me about the "No Dimera story" policy at the paper.

Working for Jack Deveraux was no easy task. He liked my style and he was constantly giving me new assignments, so much so that I rarely had the time to pursue my real interests at the newspaper. But then the news stories about EJ Wells broke out, reminding me of my heritage. I had to find out more, about who I was and where I came from.

So I began my research in the Records Department, looking for more information about my ghost.

Perhaps I would not have been so consumed with the past...if it hadn't been for Renee and her curse...haunting my dreams...

* * *

As I began packing my belongings from my desk into a large cardboard box, Vern stood by my side, shaking his head.

"Leigh, honestly, if I had any idea that Jack would go flying off the handle like that, I wouldn't have said a word. Hell, I didn't even mean to let him on to anything, but you know how Jack has that way of..."

"I know, Vern," I sighed. "I know. That stubbornness is what makes him a good reporter."

And I did admire Jack Deveraux so much for all he had done in the newspaper business. He was smart, talented, witty, funny, spirited, incorrigible...and very happily married to Jennifer Deveraux, his partner in life and business. Too bad the good ones were always taken. It was just as well. Bad enough to be fired by him, but if I had been in love with the guy...

"Maybe so, but he's a lousy editor! How could he even think of firing you? You're one of the best."

"Thanks."

I felt like crying again. Suddenly, I became very aware of just how fond I had been of my job at the newspaper.

"What was he talking about when he kept ranting about you being one of them?" Vern asked. "I couldn't make heads or tails out of it."

I shook my head, unable to answer. The truth would come out soon enough, but I didn't want to witness it. Vern was a valued friend and colleague. I could not bear the inevitable fear and hatred that would take over those kind wise eyes if he knew. It had been bad enough seeing how Jack had reacted.

"Leigh, is it true?!"

Harold stormed over to my cubicle, coffee cup in hand and mouth gaping wide with shock.

"Jack let you go?!"

God, news travels fast. Then again, it was a newspaper office, after all. Getting the scoop was what we did for a living.

"I'm afraid so, Harold."

"WHY?! You're the best reporter on the paper!"

I smiled my thanks.

"That's not entirely true, Harold. But, anyway, I'd rather not get into it..."

"Well, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

"No, don't!" I begged, grabbing Harold by the arm. "It's bad enough that I have to go. Don't jeopardize your job too."

Harold gave me a hug.

"We're going to miss you, kiddo. You can give out my name as a reference anytime."

"I've got to go," I said abruptly. I needed to leave before the sobbing fit started for real.

Lugging up the big box, I started on my way towards the elevator bank.

"But where are you going to go?" Vern asked. "Do you have anything else to fall back on? Any other paper to go to?"

I shrugged.

"I'll land on my feet, Vern. I always do."

Of course, I had survival skills, bred by instinct if nothing else.

After all, I was a Dimera.

I spent the evening in my lonely London flat doing some preliminary packing. It was obvious that my career in London had screeched to a halt, now that Jack knew my secret. Being fired by a powerful figure like Jack Deveraux in London was a death knell for my career. And I had no hope of his changing his mind. There was too much bad blood between the Dimeras and anyone from Salem. I could not possibly hope for understanding...or for even forgiveness for all of the sins and crimes that my family had committed.

As I began packing some of my clothes in cardboard boxes, I took another sip from the third Rum and Coke that had been precariously resting on my dresser top. I usually did not drink. I didn't need the calories or the hangover in the morning. Too often, I suffered ill effects from alcohol without any of the pleasures. But tonight, I needed the liquor. It would not make me feel better, but it might make me forget the look of disgust in my mentor's eyes.

_You're one of...THEM!_

Of course, Jack would hate me. Although they never talked about it, I knew enough to put the pieces together about what had happened to Jack and Jennifer. Tony Dimera had kidnapped Jack and made him suffer in countless ways that he couldn't even bear to talk about. And now, Jack had finally pulled his life back together. He was settled in the business that he loved, reunited with his wife and children. And here I was, another Dimera coming into his life to mess everything up. I couldn't blame him for firing me.

If only I could have thought of Jack Deveraux as just another boss. But he had been so much more to me over the last two years. A teacher, a taskmaster, a friend...no, I wasn't in love with him. I couldn't let myself. I liked his wife, Jennifer, too much to let myself feel anything like that. But still, his disapproval hurt. It hurt bad.

I would have to leave here...this swinging wonderful town of London that I had made my home. I hated the thought but it was too dangerous to stay here now. The secret was out now. And if any of the Dimeras got wind of my existence...well, I shuddered to think what would happen to me.

I still had a good amount of my inheritance left as well as my savings from the employment at the _London Spectator_. I could afford to go somewhere else.

If only I knew where to go.

My life now felt so aimless, adrift at sea.

* * *

Perhaps because of the alcohol, the dream was more intense than ever that night.

I was at a party in a large mansion, dressed in a black velvet gown with a silver sequined lining and ostrich feathers, my hair piled high upon her head, diamond earrings dangling along my neck. For some reason, I was the center of attention that night. Familiar faces were watching me. But I was only looking at one person. In fact, I could not take my eyes off of him as I pleading with him, tears running down my cheeks.

_Do you know you opened up a whole new world for me? You protected me and you taught me what unconditional love is. Because that's what we had until fate tore it away from us..._

Wearing a tuxedo sans tie, the dark handsome man looked as if he had walked straight out of some romantic gothic novel, his expression sad and brooding. With his black hair, swarthy complexion and dark eyes, he was truly a striking figure. And he seemed to be willing me to confess my heart to him.

_I probably will always love you. You were my one passion. My one true love._..

As I looked upon his sad face and intense dark eyes, I felt my heart breaking. I needed this man more than anything else, physically and emotionally and in every way possible. And I had lost him before I had ever really had him at all.

"Tony..." I sobbed, waking myself out of the dream and into reality.

I was no longer in that elaborate mansion but in my dingy London flat.

I was no longer Renee Dimera but Leigh Daniels.

And as I came back to my senses, I remembered the man in the dream.

Tony Dimera.

The man responsible for the Salem Stalker plot of 2003. The man who had kidnapped several people and committed all sorts of unspeakable atrocities. The man who had been imprisoned as an international terrorist. How could I love him? How could I even dream that I loved him? And besides, weren't we related somehow? None of it made any sense.

Shaking and crying still from the dream, I slowly rose up from the bed. It had all seemed so real, so intense and detailed as if I had really lived it. Washing the tears from my face, I caught my image in the bathroom mirror. And I did not seem to even look like myself anymore. That lonely devastated woman in the reflection was not me. It was her. In the mirror, I seemed to be looking into Renee's eyes and not my own.

_What do you want me to see, Renee? What do you want me to see with your eyes?_


	2. Interview with Anna

Taking a sip of my coffee at the corner café, I could not bear to look at the newspaper I had before me on the table. I didn't even know why I was stupid enough to buy it. I should have known that just the sight of a newspaper would remind me that I was now friendless and unemployed. At least, I bought the _London Spectator's_ competition, just out of spite to Jack.

Still I had too much of a hangover headache to read. And I also did not have the peace of mind. So what was I going to do now?

I should just give it all up and go back to Georgia, I thought with some remorse. Maybe I could find some guy I knew in high school, settle down with a man that I didn't love, have kids that I didn't want and live a normal life.

I knew I wouldn't do that.

Renee would not let me do that, for one thing. She would haunt and torment my dreams until my dying day...or until I was put away in an insane asylum. Whichever would come first. And she was just mean enough of a ghost to do it too.

So Tony Dimera obviously had something to do with my haunting.

Well, first of all, Renee, I mentally told my ghost, Tony Dimera is in prison, probably in some high security lock-up deal that would not even allow visitors. And secondly, what would I say to the man if I could track him down? Hey, Count, some crazy ex-girlfriend ghost of yours who looks like me has been driving me nuts, can you help me out? Oh, and by the way, I think you might be related to me.

And that thought added a whole new level of queasiness to my hangover.

I could still remember all too well the way I felt, waking up from last night's dream. I did not just have sexy feelings about Tony Dimera. It was not just a "Huh-he's-kind-of-hot" feeling. It was more like I could rip off my clothes and do whatever he wanted wherever he wanted and whenever he wanted with all of the abandon of a romance novel cover girl. Pretty sick to feel that way about your long-lost uncle...and one who was a good deal older than me, to boot.

I grimly took a sip of my coffee and winced.

I wasn't some young kid who had never been around. I'd had my share of boyfriends. Well, two. And with both of them, I thought I was sincerely in love. But, truth be told, I got more of a high out of chasing after a hot exclusive for the newspaper than I ever did kissing either of them. I just figured that I did not have the kind of personality for romance. I never really experienced it and I didn't want it either. To be a successful reporter, you can't let emotions get in the way.

But my dream last night was an experience more stormy and passionate than anything I'd ever felt in real life. And nothing much really even happened in the dream, I laughed to myself. I was talking to a guy at a party. But it was all the raw emotion and need and angst that I wasn't accustomed to. If that's how love felt, I wasn't sure that I ever wanted to be in love.

Maybe I was just having some sort of a nervous breakdown. Maybe the revelation of my past had sent me over the edge and I was just getting all hallucinatory. Maybe I just needed a good psychiatrist.

An unusually cold wind blew from seemingly out of nowhere, almost spilling my coffee as the newspaper flew off of the café table.

I swore as I reached down for the paper, grateful that the coffee didn't ruin my expensive beige pants suit.

_"ANNA DIMERA DESIGNS RULES RUNWAY IN MILAN – See page 30"_

Hmm. So this is what happens when you work for a paper with stupid policies. You are completely uninformed about what is going on in the world. I had no idea that Anna Dimera, Tony's ex-wife, had been doing so well for herself.

I sighed with a sick feeling.

Any sane person would think that it was just a coincidence that Anna Dimera should all of a sudden make front page headlines, right at the same time I was being haunted by a ghost who had a thing for Tony Dimera.

But I was far from sane these days.

"OK, Renee..." I moaned. "I get the message loud and clear. We're going to Milan."

* * *

At my pitiful one-room flat on the East Side, the answering machine was flashing crazily with who-knows-how-many messages. As if on cue, the phone rang again as soon as I locked the door behind me. I didn't need to look at my Caller ID to know who it was. Jennifer Deveraux must have been going nuts. Well, I couldn't talk to her right now. The wounds were still too fresh.

Besides, it was best to lay low until I had taken the next step.

Jack might have taken my job away from me. But he didn't take my press pass. And I would need it when I was going to do my exclusive on Anna Dimera and her company. Granted, the exclusive would never be published, but that was a minor detail.

I began looking at travel websites, preparing my trip to Milan.

* * *

In sunny Milan, my mood was as black as ever.

As I watched the skeletal overly made-up models prancing up and down the catwalk, I was feeling slightly woozy from jet lag and slightly resentful at the $300 ticket price. And it was all I could do to keep from falling asleep, despite all of the applause and chaos. The fashion world really wasn't my thing. The clothes seemed to be either too boring or too over-the-top. No one real ever wore all of that stuff. And just one brassiere on one of those models probably was worth my salary. These people should give their money to the poor rather than spend it on all of this silly nonsense.

Still, I had my strategy all worked out. After the show, Anna Dimera and I had an appointment for an interview in one of the model's dressing rooms backstage. The $300 bribe I had to give to her assistant had a lot to do with this booking. I spent most of my plane trip to Milan, trying to come up with a mock interview for Anna Dimera. Also, I had to figure out how to ask the questions that I really wanted to ask.

I had even gone to the trouble of getting a red-haired wig and some colored contacts to disguise myself. The less I could look like me (and therefore Renee), the better.

Maddening applause and flashing cameras ensued as Contessa Anna Dimera made an appearance on the catwalk, soaking up the love and eating up the attention. She was a beautiful woman. With her long blonde tresses were piled on top of her head, she was wearing a beautiful evening gown of white and gold that probably cost the earth. Actually, she was better looking than most of her models. And she seemed to have discovered the Fountain of Youth as she looked every bit as young as her photos at Renee's 1982 party.

And for some reason I couldn't quite put my finger on, I instinctively disliked her. Or was I jealous of her? I don't know. I felt like I was competing with her for something. But I didn't give a darn about fashion. So I couldn't really put my finger on what it was about her that set me off.

_Anna, do you know I think I hate you most of all? I know that you tricked Tony into marrying you, but you see he never loved you. Not ever..._

At that thought, I freaked out. Those were Renee's words from the past in my head. Great, she wasn't even restricting herself to my dreams now.

"Don't infect me with your hate, Renee..." I whispered into the air. "Do you want me to do this interview or not?"

Grimly, I sat through another hour of strutting and pouting models, anxious to get started with the real event.

* * *

At last, I had Anna Dimera alone with me in the backstage dressing room. Still high from all of the adrenaline of the night, she was gracious, quite happy and eager to answer all questions. I started breaking her in slowly, asking her about her childhood, about her marriage to Roman Brady and about her daughter Carrie. After all, I had to at least make an attempt to think that this interview was all about her. I asked a bit about her clothesline, although I swore that if I had to hear another word that had to do with couture I would hang myself. She started spouting off a lot of names like Versace and Bill Blass. Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, whatever.

"So tell me a little bit more about your company. You were more or less financed by your husband, Count Antony Dimera, correct?"

At the sound of his name, Anna's bright eyes darkened with what I presumed were sad memories.

"Well, yes," she answered reluctantly. "At first, fashion was not really his interest. So it took quite a lot of effort to convince him to take on the project. But eventually, he became very involved. We were a good team."

At this point, the light in her eyes began to die out. Presumably, from sad memories.

"In 1984, Tony sort of disappeared from the face of the eart and went incommunicado for a while. Was this when you took over complete ownership of Anna Dimera Designs?"

Anna blinked a few times, as if she were struggling to keep a hold on her emotions.

"Yes. It was part of the terms of our divorce proceedings."

Now she seemed absolutely grim.

"Any idea of where Tony went and why?"

Anna raised an eyebrow imperiously, signaling that I had finally crossed the line.

"Look, I thought this was an article about me and about Anna Dimera Designs. Why are we talking about Tony all of a sudden?"

Uh oh, time to tap dance...

"Well, with all due respect, there is sort of renewed media interest in the Dimera Empire, particularly with the EJ Wells scandals of late."

"Yes, I heard about that," Anna mused sullenly. "Even though I'm really not in the least interested in racecar driving. It's all over the news. Just how many women popped out kids for Stefano Dimera anyway?"

I laughed bitterly at the irony of it all.

"I don't think anyone will ever know that."

"Look," Anna shrugged. I" know it's been a long time ago, but Tony is a painful subject for me to talk about. The man I married is...not the man that he is now. I really don't care to discuss him anymore in this interview."

"I completely understand," I responded, as sympathetically as I could muster.

Jack always said I had that special talent of getting people to lower their defenses and reveal things that they normally wouldn't. I needed to rely on that skill now to keep going. It was crucial.

"It must have been very hard on you when he abandoned you like that."

"I SAID I DON'T CARE TO DISCUSS IT!" Anna snapped before standing up from her chair. "I'm sorry. I think this interview is over now."

OK, on to Plan B.

"We could make him pay, Anna. And he would be the gift that would keep on giving."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her interest perked. Ah, what I had read about Anna's materialistic greed was true. She had grown up as poor as dirt and fought tooth-and-nail for every dime she had ever owned. Money meant more to her than anything. Now I knew I had Anna Dimera in my pocket.

"I know the subject is painful for you, Anna," I said. "I may call you Anna?"

"Sure."

"A painful subject but extremely hot copy. If we linked a bit of the Dimera legend with your company, it would definitely push your story into the front pages of the newspaper. Which can only help boost sales for your company. After all, what is it they say? There's no such thing as bad publicity. Shouldn't he pay for betraying you?"

Anna shook her head firmly.

"I'm not bitter. I got plenty of money out of our divorce..."

"But was it enough?" I goaded. "He left you without any explanation, reunited with his criminal mastermind of a father and then got engaged to some young sweetheart of his from yesteryear, that Kristen Blake chick. And then turns into some serial killing terrorist freak. Of course, you must be bitter."

"Well, okay, maybe a little..." she conceded.

"I can make you very sympathetic, Anna," I insisted. "This article might lead to more appearances for you. _Larry King, The View, Doctor Phil_...and publicity means sales...and sales mean money. It can't really hurt, can it? You can't change the past, but you can at least make the future a bit more profitable, right?"

"I'm not exactly hurting financially."

Jeez, she was being a tough sell.

"Well, money can't buy happiness," I shrugged. "Perhaps you're right in doing the honorable thing, even if your ex certainly doesn't deserve it."

I got up to leave the dressing room.

"Wait a minute..." Anna called out, reaching for my arm.

Oh, yes...

"My motto is, Miss Daniels, that anyone who thinks money can't buy happiness doesn't know where to shop! And Tony deserves everything he's going to get after the way he treated me."

So it was true. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

"Now you're talking my language, Anna. Let's talk turkey, shall we?"

Her pouty lips set with determination, Anna gave me a not-so-nice smile before we returned to our seats under the hot dressing room lights.

"OK. What do you want to know?"

"Well, let's start with Tony's disappearance in 1984. Lately there's been a lot of talk about what happened to Dimera during his 'missing years.'"

"I really don't have anything to add," Anna shrugged. "One night, he just disappeared without a word. Weeks went by. I had worried he had been in a terrible accident. Then I got a letter with an apologetic goodbye and divorce papers."

"Were there problems in your marriage?"

"No!" Anna answered emphatically. "Sure, the path was rocky before...but at that point, we were very much in love and completely happy. At least, I thought we were..."

I scribbled some notes, more for show than anything else.

"When Tony came back to Salem in 1993 with his fiancée, Kristen Blake, he claimed that he was Stefano's son after claiming the contrary in 1982. Any guess on which is the case? Is he a Dimera or isn't he?"

Anna's eyes narrowed with interest.

"You know, that's a really good question. I was there when Tony found out that he wasn't Stefano's son. He had blood tests run at the hospital that were conclusive. Now the Dimeras claim those results were doctored. But why would Daphne Dimera lie about such a thing?"

"Stefano said she was insane."

"Hmmm...as crazy as a fox. That woman was every bit as shrewd and manipulative as either Stefano or Tony. I've always kind of thought that maybe the most recent tests were doctored by the Dimeras. After all, it ended up being to Stefano's advantage at the time for Tony to be his son."

"Why?"

"Stefano had an irrational fear of dying before his time," Anna said contemptuously. "Half of his grandiose plots were to save his own skin in one way or another. He was worried about who would inherit his great empire. Renee Dimera was dead. Megan Dimera was dead. Benjy Dimera was just a little boy. Peter and Kristen Blake were adopted, so that could have led to complications. It was in Stefano's best interest to reunite with Tony and make him his son again."

"Are you saying that you think Stefano might have had something to do with Tony's disappearance?" I asked, no longer in journalist mode, but in mystery solver mode.

"Well, Stefano's specialty is making people disappear as I understand it. And it would fit."

"Interesting. In 1995, Tony Dimera had been thought to have committed suicide. Then he appears back in Salem in 2001, claiming that Andre Dimera had been the suicide. You were acquainted with Andre Dimera at one time. Do you believe that?"

"When I heard about that, it blew my mind," Anna shook her head in disbelief. "I went through a serious depression after Tony's suicide. At least, it gave me some kind of closure. But I blamed myself for...well, some bad things that I did to him. I even had some therapy for a while. But I couldn't believe it. Tony did not seem to be the type to commit suicide. But neither did Andre, for that matter."

"Really?"

"Andre was a pig, but he was a fighter. I just don't think he would have taken his own life."

"Well, Tony...or Andre...was supposed to have some sort of blood disorder that drove him insane...so I suppose either one could have done it."

"There are supposedly DNA tests proving that Andre is the corpse," Anna added. "But those could be doctored up too, I suppose. Andre would be a lot more capable of the latest Serial Killer plot than Tony. After all, he had practice with killing people for real."

"So you think that the man who is in jail right now is really Andre?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Anna cried out with frustration. "It's all so convoluted with so many lies and twists and turns. No one will ever know the truth about that, I guess."

I could tell that Anna was coming to an end of her patience and that it would be time to wrap up soon.

"All I know is that I could not believe all of the stuff that I've heard Tony has been capable of in the last few years. I knew he had a cruel streak in him. He always did. Even during the good years. But he was never evil. Not my Tony..." she said sadly.

_Nor mine..._

Shut up, Renee!

"...Of course, I guess knowing of his insanity was a comfort in some ways..." Anna continued. "Tony was always accusing me of being selfish and materialistic, always acting like he was better than me. When he left, I had sort of thought that, well, that maybe he had never really gotten over Renee..."

Okay, now things were getting dangerous.

"Renee?" I asked innocently.

"Renee Dimera," Anna sneered spitefully. "Now there's a scandal for you. Did you know that if Tony really is a Dimera that he slept with his own half-sister? It's true! He didn't know it at the time, but it was incest just the same! I always knew that silly fool was no good for him, but somehow there was just this bond between them..."

I didn't say anything. I just looked down and made more pretend notes.

"And when she died, Tony made her out to be such a saint. Just a poor creature who needed to be loved," she whined in a sing-songy imitation. "And all of that rot! But she was a schemer and a murderer!"

"A murderer?"

"Yes! She caused me to have a miscarriage when she tried to kill me! You can put that in your story too! Yes, Tony and Renee both turned out to be murderers. I guess they were made for each other after all..."

Maybe I was too close to the story, but Anna was starting to tick me off.

"Well, thank you for your time, Mrs. Dimera."


	3. Blind Trust

The interview with Anna Dimera left me in a funk as I flew back to London. I felt like I was no closer to figuring out what to do next than I was before. Other than being bored out of my skull watching a lot of skinny models and dealing with Anna's materialism and petulance, I didn't really learn anything earth-shattering. Just a lot of speculations about Tony...

I looked down on the few notes that I had taken.

SHUT UP, RENEE!

I had jotted that note down angrily when Renee was interrupting my train of thought at one point during the interview. When was that?

I perused the scribbles on my notebook...and remembered what Anna had said.

_All I know is that I could not believe all of the stuff that I've heard Tony has been capable of in the last few years. I knew he had a cruel streak in him. He always did. Even during the good years. But he was never evil. Not my Tony..._

_Nor mine..._my ghost replied.

And that was the only time Renee communicated with me during that interview. That...and the little episode of malice when I first saw Anna on the catwalk.

"So what are you saying, Renee?" I asked. "That Tony isn't evil? That he didn't do all of that stuff later on?"

"Pardon?"

The nice old lady sitting next to me in Coach Class looked at me, bewildered.

"Sorry, miss...just talking to myself," I smiled sheepishly.

She looked at me a bit nervously as if I might be a terrorist or something.

Taking a sip of my Diet Coke, I tried to think of some way to calm her down.

The sun was shining brightly through the passenger window at that moment, causing her golden bracelet to sparkle. I noticed an interesting design on it. It looked like symbols of some kind – a tree and a funny looking box, sort of.

"That's a pretty cool bracelet," I said with a smile. "What are those symbols? Chinese?"

"Yes," the lady smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "The Chinese symbol for redemption. I think it is beautiful, don't you?"

"Sure..." I nodded, nearly choking on my soda.

_Okay, Renee, I get it...I'm supposed to somehow redeem Tony...or prove he's innocent or not evil or whatever..._

"Oh, look..." the lady pointed as we were about to land. "Isn't that a rainbow out there?"

Sure, enough there was a freakish and beautiful rainbow in the sky, which I in my panicked state took as a ghostly answer.

My haunting spirit was a hard taskmaster, an overachiever and a dreamer. I would say that much for Renee Dimera. For how could I prove Tony Dimera's innocence when everyone believed he was the spawn of the Devil?

* * *

Before I so much as made it back to my flat, I was waylaid by Jennifer Deveraux. A very angry Jennifer Deveraux...hair pulled back and dressed up in a brown tweed business suit and heels, all decked out in English fashion the way only an American could pull off. Hands on her hips and eyes wide, I could tell she was about to give me a piece of her mind.

"Hi, Jennifer!" I cried out breezily. "How's it going?"

Taking my suitcase, I started making my way up the flight of stairs to my room. She followed along after me like a tenacious bulldog. Man, I only saw her act this nuts when she was around Jack!

"Don't you 'Hi Jennifer' me, Leigh!" she scolded. "What the heck is going on?! Will you please tell me?"

Huffing and puffing with the exertion of lugging my suitcase, I finally made it to the door.

"Come on in, Jennifer," I gave in wearily, letting the suitcase down with a thump. "Have a seat."

Jennifer sat on my ramshackle futon which passed for a couch. I sat in the corner of my flat where my computer desk was, the closest thing I had for an office.

"So?" Jennifer prompted.

"Jack fired me," I answered, kicking off my shoes.

"Yes, I think I figured that much out," she answered sarcastically. "What I want to know is why. Why would he fire one of our best reporters?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No!" she sighed with exasperation, rolling her eyes. "You know how Jack can get when he is all neurotic and starts to panic. He said he didn't want to talk about it. And even implied something about danger. Something about the Dimeras..."

Jennifer had been a very good friend to me during my time in London, maybe the closest thing I ever had to a best friend. We had talked about everything from the latest fad diet to politics in Guatemala. I desperately wished that I could confide in her. But I didn't dare.

"Listen to Jack," I answered sadly. "The less you know, the better off you are."

"Vern said that he thought he overheard Jack calling you a Dimera...but that's crazy! Isn't it?"

In her own way, Jennifer was just as infuriatingly clever as Jack. When they wanted to know about a story, there was no way to stop them from finding out. And when they were trying to out scoop each other, they were at their worst. Or best, depending on your perspective.

"Jennifer," I pleaded. "Please..."

"You ARE a. Dimera...?!"

I sighed with resignation.

"Yes, Jennifer."

"Leigh, we've been friends for two years now. You seem like such a good person. I just can't believe that..."

"Oh, good grief, Jennifer, will you listen to yourself?" I snapped. "It's just a bloodline! That's all. I happen to look a little bit too much like Renee Dimera. Jack found out and freaked about it and fired me. But being a Dimera does not mean that I will start sleeping in a coffin and growing fangs, all right?"

Jennifer was silent for a moment, her head hung down. She seemed a bit ashamed of herself.

"Of course, you're not a monster. I know that. I'm sorry. It's just that..."

"I know," I interrupted. "No need to explain. Megan Hathaway was a Dimera. Lexie Carver was a Dimera. Kristen Blake was a Dimera. Peter Blake was a Dimera. EJ Wells is a Dimera. And they've all gone nuts and done bad things, but that doesn't mean..."

"You really know a lot about the Dimera history, don't you?" she interrupted.

"Yes," I confessed. "I want to know about where I really come from. I know that people consider the Dimeras a notorious and cursed family. To find out that I am one of them...well, the whole thing hass sort of become an obsession of mine, I guess. I can't explain everything. You wouldn't understand; but that's what I was doing when Jack fired me. I was doing some research."

"So you know about what happened to me and Jack? About how come we hate the Dimeras so much?"

"Well, I know some of it," I shrugged. "I know that Tony Dimera kidnapped Jack and faked his death...along with a lot of other people from Salem. But to be honest, Jennifer, some of the stories I've heard about that whole set-up are just too whacked out to be believed. In fact all of the recent stories about Tony Dimera have seemed absolutely crazy...UFO's, mind control, that replica island called Melaswen...""

"Believe all of the stories about Tony. I was there...and suffered his craziness first hand..."

I could hear the trauma in her voice as she recalled those difficult times.

"When I thought Jack was dead," her voice wavered with tears. "I didn't know how I would go on. And then it seemed like everyone around me was dying. Aunt Maggie and Abe and Roman and...if it hadn't been for little Jack, Jr. being inside of me, I don't know how I would have gotten through those days. I really don't. That little baby was the only hopeful thing I had."

"I'm sorry, Jennifer," I said sincerely, touching her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry for whatever Tony Dimera did to you and Jack. And the last thing I ever meant to do was to drudge up bad memories for you two..."

I shook my head, trying to find the words.

"You see, I didn't even know I was a Dimera until five years ago," I explained. "My mother had given me away as a baby. Then I did some looking into my past after my adoptive parents died. And that's when I found out that Renee Dimera was my biological mother's twin sister.. I've never even met or spoken to a Dimera. But when I found out, I started reading about them. And some of the stories..." I shook my head in disbelief. "Well, let's just say that I don't blame Jack for firing me after everything that they did to..."

"Well, I think Jack's being completely unreasonable!" Jennifer interrupted me. "You're right! It's just a bloodline. I _know_ you're a good person...and you can't help who you are. Jack, of all people, should understand that. He's had some...complications...with his family ties too."

"Really?"

"Yes, but that's not important right now. What's important is that I talk to Jack and get you back onto the newspaper. Pronto."

Going back to the paper sounded too good to be true. But I couldn't go back. Not now.

Renee had taken over my fate for good. I couldn't just go back to my old life and pretend that nothing had happened.

"No, Jennifer."

"Why not?"

"I'm not going back to the paper. I have some things I need to do."

"Ohh-kaaay.."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"These 'things' wouldn't have to do with more Dimera research?"

"What makes you say that?"

There was a long hesitation.

"There's something I haven't told you," she started. "Jack got an interesting phone call today. From Anna Dimera."

I suddenly felt like I was going to be sick.

"Anna asked him to retract her story where she had made a lot of speculations and accusations against her ex-husband, Tony Dimera. She said you were the reporter of the story."

My mind was racing.

Why did Anna retract her story? What had happened?

"Leigh, how could you?" Jennifer scolded, pulling me to the present. "Using your press pass to write a fraudulent story!? Do you realize that Anna could have sued us? It's just because we were friends through the Brady family that..."

"Looks like you caught me, Mom," I joked, throwing up my hands. "Sorry."

"This isn't funny, Leigh. Not at all." Jennifer stood up from the couch and started pacing. "This isn't just about your genealogy and a family tree. You're investigating the Dimeras, and in particular Tony Dimera, aren't you?"

"Yes, and please don't ask me anymore about it," I responded coldly. "To be honest, it's none of your business."

Jennifer folded her arms in front of her angrily.

"I am your co-worker and your friend and that makes it my business! Jeez, you are just as bad as Jack when you make up your mind about something. And just as foolish! Do you know what Jack was working on before he got 'killed' back then? An expose on the Dimeras! Leigh, if you aren't careful, you will just disappear one day...and no one is going to be able to find you."

"For heaven's sake, Jennifer, I'm good at what I do...and I can take care of myself."

Jennifer shook her head.

"You're too close to this story, Leigh. And you know something else? You remind me of how I used to be. I was all eager and headstrong just like you when I first worked as a reporter in Salem. And then I got too close to a story once...and I got burned badly."

"You're talking about Alamania?"

Her mouth was set in a grim line.

"Yes, and there is not a day that I don't regret having been so stupid."

"But, Jennifer, that story put you on the map! It was your most famous article you ever wrote, for heaven's sake!"

"If I had to do it over again, I never would have," Jennifer insisted. "I played games with Lawrence Alamain, a very powerful man, and I paid a really high price for that. And now you're playing games with Tony Dimera..."

"This isn't the same at all," I replied calmly. "I'm not being forced to marry some villain in a foreign country. Tony Dimera's in prison! There is nothing that he can do to me now. So, please, Jennifer, don't get into hysterics!"

We were both at a quiet impasse.

"So I guess I can't talk you into coming back to the newspaper?"

"No. At least, not until I've taken care of some things."

My friend tapped her foot impatiently.

"And I can't talk you out of leaving this Tony Dimera story alone?"

"Nope."

"Will you at least tell me what you're going to do next? So I can tell them where your body might be buried, if it comes to that."

I couldn't help but laugh at her melodramatics.

"Well, now that you mention it...I was thinking about taking a trip to Aremid. You wouldn't happen to have easy directions out there, do you?"

"Aremid!?" Jennifer gasped. "That was where I got married to Peter Blake! Are you insane? Why would you want to go out there?"

"I want to know who actually died there."

"Andre Dimera did, of course!"

"How do we know that?" I turned to Jennifer, all caught up with my speculations. "Did anyone really ever confirm that before the Dimeras doctored all results from the hospital and the morgue? Obviously not, as everyone assumed the dead man was Tony. It wasn't until Tony 'came back from the dead' that the Andre theory was accepted. How much real evidence was ever recovered about who really died out there?"

"What does it matter?" she shrugged, throwing up her hands.

"It matters a lot!" I said emphatically. "Maybe Tony Dimera had nothing to do with the Salem Stalker plot. Maybe Tony died in Aremid after all...and all of these years, his name has been besmirched because of Andre!"

"Anything is possible with the Dimeras...but...who cares? One man is dead...and the other is in prison. End of story."

"Jennifer, did you ever know Tony Dimera back when he was married to Anna?"

Her eyes looked blank.

"When was that?"

"Around 1985..."

"No, I was still in boarding school back then, I think."

"Well, back then, Tony Dimera was thought to be a reformed man. He no longer believed himself to be Stefano's real son. He was constantly working with charities and doing good deeds, trying to get past his reputation as a Dimera. Look at the old pictures from those days. He was a guest at Bo and Hope Brady's wedding, for Pete's sake! Does this sound like a man who planned to blow them up on an island years later?'

"Well, he obviously changed! People do change, you know...and being the son of Stefano, he..."

"Oh, being the son of Stefano!" I interrupted, on a roll now. "You say that like he was the Son of Dracula or the Son of Frankenstein. This isn't some old black-and-white horror film, Jennifer! Did you know that during the Salem Slasher serial murders, Stefano held Tony prisoner in a dungeon. He put a mask on him and tormented him for a long time. Just look at any old _Salem Chronicle_ from those days. There were tons of stories about that! And then Stefano was responsible for Renee Dimera's death, the woman that Tony was in love with and planned to marry! How could Tony turn around and just forgive Stefano for all of that?"

"I don't know, Leigh," Jennifer answered. "I wasn't close to the man."

"Yes, you were! What about when you were with Peter Blake?"

Jennifer glared at me angrily.

"Now you are really crossing the line, Leigh. I don't care to discuss my personal history with you."

"I don't mean to upset you, but surely you knew Tony a little bit during those days, Jennifer. You were at the Dimera mansion quite frequently. And you were friends with Kristen Dimera. Now, tell me, did you consider Tony evil back then?"

"No," Jennifer answered truthfully. "That was why everyone was so shocked with the suicide-frame-up and later Melaswen. No one thought Tony was so far gone. But he had that blood disease. And everyone thought that was what drove him into insanity."

"Oh, okay. So the blood disease caused Tony to go off the deep-end and frame John Black in Aremid. But actually that was Andre; so therefore, it was really Andre who had the blood disease. But wait, then Tony said that he had this blood disease which is why he supposedly killed Stefano to get a cure. That's what he said in Melaswen, isn't it?"

Jennifer shook her head, shocked at my ravings.

"Okay, so who had the blood disease?" I continued. "Andre or Tony? Come on, which one was it? Did they both share a very rare blood disease too...along with the same face?"

My friend looked at me oddly.

"Why are you so obsessed with finding out about what happened to Tony? And don't give me that song-and-dance about your being a relative. There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

I turned away from her big blue inquisitive eyes.

How could I explain to Jennifer about Renee haunting my dreams? I couldn't even explain it to myself. My friend would think that I was crazy. She would be undoubtedly right.

"You wouldn't understand, Jennifer..."

"Try me..."

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm a Dimera by blood. But I just feel like something is unresolved somehow. And I feel _haunted_ by it."

"Haunted?"

"Yes. I can't explain it, but I have to go down this road, Jennifer, even if it means danger. I have no choice."

Jennifer got up to leave.

"Well, I guess your mind is really made up."

"Yes. I would like to go to Aremid as soon as possible," I said. "But the estate is remote and difficult to find. I'd appreciate it if you'd help me with directions since you were there and all."

"You want me to help you?" she asked, incredulously.

I nodded.

"After all, I'm going to find out how to get there regardless."

"Use your resources, Leigh," Jennifer snapped. "I'm not going to help you commit suicide. Sorry."

With that, she stormed out of my flat.

* * *

I was so tired from my travels and my crazy thoughts that Jennifer's confrontation did not cause me to lose any sleep. In fact, I was so tired that I just laid down on the sofa, unable to even summon up the strength to get to the bedroom

Again, the dreams...

This time, I was alone in my upstairs bedroom, all dressed up in my beautiful black feathered gown with nowhere to go. I was emotionally drained after giving hell to all of the party guests...all of those people who had hurt me and treated me like the dirt under their feet.

The tears had long since dried against my cheeks.

After all, I was a survivor. I was an heiress now. I had the Dimera money and the Dimera mansion. I had everything I ever wanted.

Well, almost everything...

I turned to see Tony Dimera, my gothic hero, standing in the doorway of my room.

_I was at the greenhouse. I found your favorite flowers..._

Tony was holding a bouquet of white roses, offering them to me.

_You were wonderful down there, by the way..._

Certain that he had come up to my bedroom to tear into me for making such a spectacle of myself, I was stunned at his understanding. I was so accustomed to Tony's verbal slaps that kindness from him was almost a forgotten luxury.

_Wonderful? _I asked.

_Yes. You just gave it to them with such bravado!_

Tony said the words with such pride...and in me.It reminded me of the times we had spent together...before it had all gone so horrifically wrong.

_I realize you still love me. And I'm so sorry for all of the despicable things I've said to you. I love you._

For one moment, I felt blinded by happiness. Suddenly, there was God. And I didn't dare believe. Too many nights. I had yearned for a man I could never have. Too many nights. I was ashamed and horrified at myself for having such desires for a man who I thought was my brother. And I tried everything to forget...even marrying a man who wasn't right for me. Even becoming hard and materialistic and cruel...

But I could never forget...

And then when he had married Anna, I imagined them in bed together, her blonde curls cascading over his chest. And I was sick with jealousy and hatred at the thought of her taking what I could never have.

I had known such pain for so long that I could not believe Tony now.

_Tony, don't tease me..._I begged, turning away from him.

_Tease you?_

_Yes. After all the things that you've said and that you've done, I would give anything in this world to believe what you said just now, but I..._

_You can believe me._

_Tony, don't you understand? I couldn't take that kind of rejection...not again. If I thought you were lying just now..._

_What do you want me to do? Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg?_

I did not want to see Tony demean himself. There had been too much ugliness between us already. That was never how things were supposed to be. It wasn't how we had started.

_No..._I answered, truthfully.

_You know, Renee, you said to me once that you could always see it in my eyes. That you could always see that love, that it was always there. Well, look into my eyes now and see that it's there..._

Nervously, I looked into those dark and soulful eyes...and saw...

Reality once more in the London flat. I opened my eyes with a realization.

Renee was telling me that I had to trust...in her and in Tony...

I had to trust that I was doing the right thing.

So I prepared my trip to Aremid...based on blind trust. Blind trust...and dreams...


	4. Danger in Aremid

Aremid was every bit as creepy and isolated as I'd heard about. It was a rundown town, dark and old-looking. A heavy fog settled over the place and seemed to never leave. Maybe that is why the villagers there were so superstitious about everything. I had been the receiver of so many obscure warnings and covert glances that I felt as if I were starring in my very own Dracula movie.

Getting to Aremid had been a trial in itself. It meant an international flight from London to Salem. The idea of actually going to the former home of my family stressed me out, but I had no choice. There were no airports in Aremid or hospitals or anything resembling real civilization, for that matter. To be on the safe side, I made special efforts to go incognito during my travels, this time going with a blond wig. And then I had to rent a car and drive to Aremid from there.

Exhausted from my travels, I was eager to get a meal and drink at the local inn which seemed to be at least a century old. In undercover reporter mode, I got very little valid information from the customers about the Dimeras or the Blakes or anyone else. Just a lot of babbling and nonsense about secrets that shouldn't be found out. There was an old man with an obnoxious parrot who creeped me out the most. He kept telling these rhyming ghost stories about a woman in white who used to haunt Aremid. I would try to tell him that the woman was not a ghost but turned out to be Kristen Dimera's real mother, Rachel Blake. But he wouldn't listen to me. Guess I was spoiling all of his fun with the cold hard facts.

When I finally drove up to the Blake estate in my cheap rental car, I was shocked at how neglected the Blake estate looked. Weeds were high up and straggling on the front lawns with wildflowers strewn all about. There were tons of bugs that splattered against my windshield. And the actual house had chipped paint and boarded-up windows. There was nothing suggestive of the grandeur that I had read all of those stories about. It was hard to believe that such a place was left vacant and uncared for after all this time. Perhaps all of the notoriety of the place scared potential buyers away.

Not sure exactly what the protocol for parking was in this wasteland, I decided to park my car around the back of what used to be the estate stables. Then I had to make my way through the insects and weeds to the house, slapping off what must have been tons of mosquito bites along the way.

Well, there was one good thing about this dilapidated old house. No one was around to stop me from investigating.

There was one door not boarded up, but locked. I proceeded to jimmy the lock, just the way that Jack had taught me a while back. As if this were all meant to happen, the door gave in easily.

Squinting in the darkness, I turned on my flashlight which seemed hopelessly futile in such an enormous cavern of a place. I appeared to be in what used to be a kitchen or pantry area. Dust and cobwebs were all over the place. This truly could have been a haunted house out of a movie. I began to search for wherever the study was.

The place where Tony Dimera...or someone...took his own life.

Everything was deathly quiet, but I could hear my heart pounding like a drum. I didn't know why. After all, I lived with my own true-life ghost, so why should I be scared by a lot of superstitious horror stories and a moldy old house? Painstakingly, I went from room to room, straining to see in the darkness. The furnishings of the house seemed intact, the furniture covered over with dust cloths.

Ah, a room with books and a big desk and a large picture window, curtains drawn. This was the room! Excitedly, I entered, closing the door behind me.

_Okay, Renee, what are we doing here? What do you want?_

I tried to sense something; an air of sadness or violence or tragedy...nothing...

"Oooo-weeee-oooo!"

A ghostly white face appeared suddenly out of the darkness.

I screamed in fright, my hair standing up at the back of my neck. Until I recognized the horrific face.

"Oh!" I gasped in outrage at Jack Deveraux, sitting in the same chair where the set-up had taken place, holding a flashlight up under his chin like some adolescent. He had an obnoxious smirk on his face and was shaking with laughter.

"Are you proud of your little joke, Jack?" I scolded, storming over to him and punching him on the shoulder.

"Ouch!" he called out, still laughing. "God, if you could have seen yourself..."

"Well, laugh now. We both might get caught and arrested by the Aremid authorities because of your stupid little prank. What if someone outside heard me scream?"

"Who? A zombie from the Night of the Living Dead? No one is coming anywhere near this place...no one except you. And you're obviously certifiable."

"I suppose that makes two of us. What are you doing here?"

Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

"Trying to save your fool neck, albeit against my better judgment. I followed you here from London. For someone traveling so incognito, you really need to brush up your skills. If I can find you, you can bet your sweet blond wig a Dimera will be able to track you down."

"You followed me? Why?"

"I guess I can't stand to see a talented reporter who I trained from scratch become another statistic. I'm here to warn you."

"Does Jennifer know you're here?"

"No!" Jack answered emphatically. "And if you don't want to be responsible for a broken home, you won't say anything to her about this. If she knew I was doing this, she'd divorce me! She thinks I'm visiting Abigail in Salem."

"Well, I don't see why you care about what happens to me. Didn't you make it clear I'm just a no-good lying villain..."

"I was wrong about that," Jack admitted. "Jennifer told me about your past and was very worried about you. Frankly, so am I. It doesn't matter who you are, Leigh, or who your relations are. You have to stop whatever it is you're doing. It's too dangerous."

"What?!" I smiled. "I don't believe it. Is this the Jsame ack Deveraux that's been cracking the whip on my back for the past two years? Since when do you care about danger? You thrive on it."

"Maybe you'd be a little less blaze if you heard Anna Dimera on the phone. She's scared to death and afraid that she's being spied on. She received threats shortly after you made her acquaintance. That's why she wanted the story retracted."

"Oh..."

I was in shock, trying to take this new information in.

"Yes, and if Anna was being watched, it follows that you were surely noticed with that stupid charade of an interview. So I suggest you stop this nonsense before you become toast."

I began to shake with fear. Does someone know about me and who I am? Does someone know what I'm trying to do? But, no, it was impossible. Still I began to feel real terror, not the cheesy scaredy-cat stuff of a haunted house, but real honest panic. Was Renee somehow leading me to my own destruction?

But on the other hand, if someone was after Anna and possible now after me, then that must be that I'm asking the right questions and going down the right path. And that meant that maybe Tony really was innocent somehow.

I thought of Renee and what she might do if she were alive. She would do what she knew was right, regardless of the danger. She would forge ahead, even if it meant death.

The knowledge steeled my spine.

No! I thought angrily. I'd come to far to stop now!

"Well, you wasted time and an airplane ticket, Jack. I'm here now and I'm not leaving until I get what I came for."

"OK, since you're determined to race towards self-destruction, just what are you hoping to find here?"

I had no real answer for him. All along, I had simply been going on instinct...

"Clues..." I answered vaguely.

"For what?! Look, Jennifer and I found Tony's diary ourselves in Salem. We're the ones who got John Black off Death Row, remember? This is a closed case. A cold trail. Dead in the water, use whatever cliché you like..."

"Is it?"

"Listen, Tony confessed to us all in Melaswen that he faked his own death and set John up. I was there! I heard it!"

"So how do you explain the exhumation of Andre Dimera's body here in Aremid? Roman Brady oversaw the whole thing personally."

Jack shrugged.

"If Tony Dimera proved anything over the years, he showed us all that he can fake deaths and forge official documents with the best of them! Putting another body in a grave meant to be his doesn't seem too far fetched...considering all he pulled off with the Salem Stalker plot. I mean, just think, Leigh, he managed to..."

I started tuning Jack out. I was all too acquainted with the history of the recent plot. I didn't need a recap. Wandering around the room, I started studying in the surroundings in the room, searching for something, anything...and I had nothing solid to go on. I didn't even have a clue of what I was supposed to look for.

_...Renee, if you want me to do this crazy thing, you must help me..._

And then as the moonlight began to shine through the library curtains, I saw it. A white rose lying along the shelf of one of the bookcases aligning the far wall. The flower was isolated and alone, completely incongruous in this room.

_...White roses..._

I walked towards the bookcase, feeling as if I were in a weird surreal dream. Gingerly, I touched the rose, trying to figure out what Renee was telling me.

"Leigh, are you even listening to me?" Jack's voice intruded. "Look, this is not time to engage in your taste for horticulture."

I ignored Deveraux's sarcasm as I concentrated on the rose. The white petals were touching a volume of GONE WITH THE WIND on the bookshelf.

Renee, being a poor girl from Georgia, identified strongly with the character of Scarlett O'Hara. Like Scarlett, she fancied herself a survivor; and she was. That is until her life had been stolen from her by Andre Dimera. Her love of Margaret Mitchell's book and movie was fairly common knowledge. Even her good friend, Chris Kositchek, had been overheard calling her Scarlett from time to time. She would call him Rhett. It was sort of a little running joke between them...

I reached out for the novel, pulling it slightly. A spring panel popped out from the lower half of the bookcase, revealing a hidden drawer.

"Whoa!" Jack called out. "How did you do that? How did you know about that?"

"It isn't important," I whispered. And then I peered inside of the compartment. "But I think this is..."

There were loose leaf pages with handwriting scrawled on them along with a gold pen. Carefully, I removed the pages and pen with my gloves. Some of the writing seemed violently erratic and incomprehensible, but I could make out some words like "KRISTEN" and "HATE"...

"Oh, my God...could we actually get this lucky?" I gasped.

"What? What are those? Let me see..." Jack rudely grasped at the pages.

"No, you idiot!" I veered away from him with the pages. "You'll get prints on them. This is evidence!"

"What evidence? What are those?"

"I think they're diary pages...and I'll bet they're from the diary from Tony's suicide frame-up."

"Oh, not another mystery having to do with diary pages..." Jack groaned, turning away.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, it's just an inside joke that only Jennifer would get," Jack rambled on. "The Toscano Diary. One of our past and more infamous adventures." He then looked a bit sheepish. "And since Jennifer's not here, it's kind of pointless to bring it up, isn't it?."

I glared at Jack, incredibly annoyed with his babbling on at a time like this.

"Please don't weird out on me now, Deveraux...of all times!"

Wearing latex gloves, I gingerly placed the diary pages and pen into the makeshift evidence bag that I had brought along with me.

"We could use this for real results. And not through the authorities where results could be doctored, but someone personal. Someone we could trust. Who's that man you use for cases like this? You know, the go-to guy who can get fast DNA samples. Lives on an estate not too far from London. You know, the James Bond guy...who works for the ISA..."

"Oh, Shane Donovan!"

"Yes," I nodded eagerly. "Maybe we could get him to run a test on this and run a DNA check or handwriting analysis or whatever on these pages..."

"He might do that...if he'd overlook your breaking in, entering and stealing," he added snarkily. "You know, Donovan's a pretty by-the-book sort of guy and..."

Before I could respond, something else caught my attention.

"Jack, do you smell smoke?"

"What?"

We turned around to see that smoke was starting to fume up from behind the library door. And we were trapped inside the study!

"Oh, my God, Jack! A fire!"

The fire was creeping underneath the door and making its way along the wooden floors...spreading fast...

"OK." Jack perused the room for a solution, wildly waving his flashlight around. "Okay, we've got a window here. Watch out.".

Grabbing a heavy globe, Jack threw it against the large picture window, causing glass to fly everywhere. Both of us crouched back, shielding ourselves from shards.

"Come on!" he grabbed my arm. "We've got to get out of here!"

The smoke was already suffocating and making it hard to breathe. Soaked with sweat from the intense heat of the fire, we carefully climbed over the ragged glass and made a run for it on the lawn of the estate. At first, we could only gasp and choke, relieved to be safe.

But we weren't safe...

"Someone set that fire. Someone's out to get us, Jack!"

I immediately started sprinting through the woods towards the back of the stables where I had parked my car.

"Where are we going?" Jack panted.

Both of us out of shape and gasping, we stopped just for a moment, taking shelter behind a tree, once we thought we might be hidden by the dark of the forest.

"The car..." I gasped. "It's over that way...by the stables..."

"You rented a car? There's no car rental in this godforsaken place..."

"No, I rented the car at the Salem Airport! What the hell does it matter?" Pulling out the remote control, I gestured toward where the rental was parked. "See, you can see it right there. The red Ford."

"From Salem..." I thought I heard Jack mutter.

"Yes...right over there..."

"No!" I heard Jack cry out. "Leigh, it's a trap. NOOO! DOOONNNN'TTTT!!!"

When I pressed the UNLOCK button for my car, everything seemed to move in slow motion as the rental car exploded in a big violent flash.

...And everything went black...


	5. Road to Salem

"Leigh...Leigh...!"

Jack was shaking me.

I was still lying on the ground of the estate lawn, every muscle and bone and nerve in my body in acute agony.

"God, Jack, what happened?"

"Your car blew up! Come on, Leigh, come to! We've got to get out of here. Can you walk?"

My head spinning, I put my arm around Jack's shoulders and he started half-walking, half-dragging me towards where his car was hidden behind some trees. The smoke in the air was acrid, making us both cough.

"...God, Jack, someone wants to kill me..."

"Brilliant deduction. What have I been trying to tell you all along?"

With an effort, Jack helped me get into the front seat of his car.

"And I had to play Mr. Nice Guy...so now they're after me too! As if I hadn't wasted enough years of my life playing games with a Dimera!"

After getting behind the driver's seat, Jack started speeding through the weedy roads like a demon.

I was too shocked and scared to be mad at Jack for his attitude. Yes, bothJennifer and Jack had warned me about the Dimeras...but I guess I had just shrugged it all off as superstition they had brought on by trauma. But now the danger was a reality. And if I could take back everything, I would do it, and Renee's ghost be damned!

"What are we going to do now?" I asked in a timid voice.

"Once I'm sure we're not being followed, we'll make a stop for gas. I'm going to give Shane Donovan a call...just like you suggested. Those diary pages must mean something important. Otherwise, our assailant would not have tried so hard to try to kill us."

"OK," I agreed, trying not to sound like a scared little kid.

"NOW do you see what I'm talking about?" Jack yelled. "NOW do you GET IT!"

"Please...Jack...please don't yell at me..."

We were both silent for a while, panting from exhaustion and stressed out.

After a few moments, Jack popped in a CD into his CD player.

"And, lucky for you, Miss Daniels...I have this for your listening pleasure..."

"I'm not in the mood for music, Jack."

"This isn't music."

The CD was of someone speaking. Someone with a foreign accent. Someone from my dreams...

_I'd like to go back in time. My last year in Salem. You remember, John? My wife was in love with you. You were having an affair with Kristen and I was aware of it. And I hated you for it enough to want to see you dead._

I gasped as I realized that I was hearing the voice of Tony Dimera.

"What is this, Jack?" I asked incredulously

Another voice on the CD continued talking as Jack explained.

"A good reporter never leaves his home without his trusty tape recorder, Miss Daniels. Remember that. This is a recorded conversation that I took when Tony first arrived back in Salem in 2002...at the Penthouse Grill. Listen and learn."

_Well, I hope everybody heard that. Count Antony Dimera just admitted in public that he wanted me dead. I'm sure Commander Carver and Captain Brady are taking this down. How civil of you to give the Salem PD so much to work with! _

"Who is talking now?" I asked.

"John Black."

"Oh."

_You lousy bastard, you set me up for your murder! _John continued. _Well, unfortunately for you, we have other evidence against you, namely the diary. You remember the diary, the one that you left behind for us to find after your death?_

At the mention of the diary, I noticed Jack began listening carefully. He could give me all the 'gloom and doom' threats he wanted, but the fact of the matter was he was just as intrigued by what was going on as I was.

_Yes, I'm aware of the diary,_ Tony answered.

_Aware, my ass! You wrote it. An elaborate sequence of lies to set a trap for me._

_The trap was set, yes, John, but not by me. Another man constructed the diary. A man that could very easily be mistaken for me. My cousin Andre. It was he who died._

_I was expecting something fantastic out of you. Congratulations, you did not disappoint. Andre, huh? Now would this be the same cousin Andre who died like an animal sinking into a pit of quicksand while you stood by his side and watched? You killed Andre! _

I hit the PAUSE button of the CD player angrily.

"Now I know John Black is speaking out of shock and anger because of what happened to him. But this is exactly how these facts are distorted. Most accounts are that Tony tried to help Andre at the last minute."

"And who made those accounts?" Jack answered. "That island jungle girl, Jasmine, who was in love with him? Anna, who was also in love with him? They aren't exactly reliable witnesses, are they? And were they even there at the time?"

"No, but a man is innocent until proven guilty."

"Was John given that kind of a break when he thought he would die on Death Row?"

Sulkily, I pressed PLAY. Jack was so obnoxious when he was right.

_Now you want us to believe that he's the one who set you up? That he's the one who got shot and died? _John continued.

_You know, John, there's been so much deception, so many lies over the years, I don't blame you for finding my story hard to accept._

_Look, Tony, Count Antony, whatever the hell you call yourself, are you saying that body was your cousin's? _The country-and-western twang was unfamiliar to me.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Roman Brady," Jack answered.

_Yes, Andre, in my father's most spectacular sleight of hand. Andre did not die in the quicksand that day. Stefano arranged for him to get pulled out and resuscitated just in time._

_And you knew about that while it was happening?_

_On the contrary, I was not brought into my father's confidence where Andre's life was concerned nor when Andre impersonated me as a victim of murder, therefore setting John up. I was out of the loop, as they say._

_Tony, Father told me about your illness. Was that real or was that just a part of his plan?_

This time, I didn't even have to ask about the new voice.

"Lexie Carver," Jack volunteered.

_I wish I could say it was all fabrication but it was not. This blood disease and the complications of it almost killed me. The last time I was here in Salem, I was terribly ill. I remember I woke up on a plane and my father was standing there beside me, promising me that I would not die of this fatal disease. I didn't even have a chance to ask him how he was going to perform this miraculous fate. I just blacked out. At that point, so much time had passed, I fell into a coma and it was years before I regained consciousness._

_Years?_

_I cannot tell you how enormously distressing it was to have lost so many years of your life. But then I had to look at the bright side. I was still alive._

John Black interrupted this time.

_If you want us to feel sorry for you, you're flat out of luck. The fact is you're in Salem because Stefano wanted you here. He sent you here._

_I have not been under the influence of my father for several years now, John._

_Is that a fact?_

_Do you know what my father believed? Why I was the victim of the ravages of this terrible blood disease? Because I had lost my will to live. When I found out about my wife's faithlessness, when she was having an affair with you, John, and then when Stefano found out that the two of you planned to marry once she was free of me, he decided he was going to put his mission into operation. Your death for mine. Only with his twisted conceit, he doubled his pleasure because of Andre. You see, my father always detested Andre. And he found the perfect opportunity this time to convince Andre that out of some fluke of heredity, he too had the disease. And if he was going to die of the disease anyway, why not use it to save the family honor by framing you before taking his own life? Objectively speaking, it was an elegant way to kill two birds with one stone. Oh, I see, John, that you are really determined not to believe me. But the truth is the truth, nonetheless. I did not send you to the gas chamber. And I can prove it. _

I paused the tape again.

"Now this is what puzzles me," I said.

Jack sighed with exasperation at this latest interruption.

"If Stefano hated Andre enough to trick him into committing suicide, why would he have bothered saving him the first time from the quicksand on his island? He could have left him there and there would have been no questions asked."

"Well, that's a hole in your martyr's story now, isn't it?" Jack sniped.

I ignored Jack's sarcasm, but also wondered about Stefano. He loved Renee. He hated Andre for killing Renee, but needed to keep him alive to finish up with the Salem Slasher plot. After that, what further use would he have for him? Why keep him alive? Stefano had no way of knowing the events that would come up in the future.

I pressed PLAY on the CD player again.

_Proof? There is no proof because this whole story that you just floated is nothing but junk from beginning to end, _John Black countered.

_The diary will vindicate me. Locate the diary. The document in which Tony confessed setting John up. I trust it's still in police custody? All you have to do is analyze the handwriting._

_Handwritings not foolproof, not like DNA_, Roman Brady said.

_Well, analyze the DNA. Dig up my grave, exhume the body that's buried in Aremid. The body you believe is mine because I'm confident that once an autopsy's done on that body, you will discover that it belongs to that of my unfortunate cousin. I swear I am telling the truth._

"Perfect timing," Jack announced, stopping the tape as he pulled over to a nearby gas station. "We interrupt this program for a fill-up and a phone call..."

Jack grimaced as we pulled into the Self-Serve station.

"Normally I like to go Full Service but I don't want any of the gas attendants seeing us right now."

"I'll fill up the tank, Deveraux," I sighed with exasperation.

"Thanks."

When I was finished, Jack was on his cell phone, engrossed in conversation.

"I don't know how she knew about it, but..."

He stopped talking when he saw me enter the car.

"OK, well, that's very convenient. OK, Shane, we'll meet at the Salem Inn in the morning. Tally-ho, pip, pip and all of that."

Donovan's groan on the other end of the phone was audible.

"Right, well, we've got our appointment with Captain Donovan in the bag...and it's our lucky day because he so happens to be in Salem on ISA business."

"WHAT?!" I cried out. "Are you crazy?! I can't go to Salem!"

"Problem?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Only that I'm the twin of a murdered Dimera! Only that someone is on to me and trying to kill me!"

"Exactly. You're already in danger. We're better off in numbers. We're going to give these crazy diary pages to Shane...and then discuss what to do from there, regarding your...situation..."

"So you're going to throw me right in the Dimeras' path by dragging me to Salem?"

"Shane is the only one who can help us right now! And besides, you were warned...by me and by Jennifer...to stay out of this. But it's too late now. You're in deep. And sad to say, so am I. Do we really have a choice now? Because of your idiocy with that Anna Dimera interview, they already know you're asking questions. How safe do you think it's going to be back in London for you now?"

I sighed in exasperation, stressed out. Too much had happened in one night.

"OK, you win."

After the events of the night, I had a feeling that my days were numbered anyway.

----------------------------------------

"So what was the point of our listening to that CD?" I finally asked Jack, after hours of silence between us as we drove to Salem.

"I originally brought it along because I wanted you to hear your hero's lies straight from the horse's mouth," Jack answered. "Basically, more ammunition to make you back off from this quest of yours."

Then he paused.

"Of course, I didn't know that we'd be finding this evidence in Aremid. Maybe I should turn this CD over to Donovan...see what he makes of it."

"You said when we were at Aremid that Tony was lying all along about Andre committing suicide. Do you still think that?"

Jack shrugged.

"I only know what Tony told us all at Melaswen," Jack said, breaking the hours of silence between us. "Granted, I was in no position to have a tape recorder on me this time. I was too busy to keep from dying like a dog in the jungle..."

For a moment, Jack seemed lost in horrific memories, then continued.

"We were all terrified every moment of the day that we were going to die. We had all gone to confront Tony about what had happened to us once we knew that he was responsible. More or less, he admitted that he had set up John for his 'murder', although he never mentioned Andre one way or the other. Apparently, he hated John because Stefano had wanted to turn the Dimera Empire over to him; add to that his insane jealousy and rage over his ex-wife, Kristen, and he hated John Black all of the more."

"But why take it out on you?" I asked, confused. "You had nothing to do with Kristen or John Black."

"Au contraire," Jack answered. "The reason that he was out for revenge against us...by that, I mean, me and Jennifer...was because we had found that diary and managed to clear John of the charges."

"When you found that diary, did you notice any missing pages?"

"No. There didn't seem to be any missing...at least, nothing that was obvious." Jack shook his head in disgust. "And we were in such a hurry to save John, I don't know that we would have noticed if there were missing pages."

"Hmmm..."

Jack shook his head in disgust.

"And I can't wait to find out what Shane turns up with. I hope Tony's prints are all over those pages."

"Why?" I quipped. "So they can put him away in prison?"

"Careful, Miss Daniels," Jack chided. "You are beginning to sound like me with such a rapier wit!"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to invade on your territory."

"That's quite alright. But to answer your question, I want you to see him for what he is. I've detected over this last adventure that you seem to be looking at Tony Dimera through rose-colored glasses. Perhaps it is admiration for a long-lost and newly found relative. Perhaps it is just stupidity. I could not say. But a good reporter must remain objective. I am going to wake you up about him if it's the last thing I do."

"It almost sounds as if you're jealous, Jack," I couldn't resist teasing.

"I'm a happily married man, Miss Daniels. This is purely professional."

"Of course, it is." I answered, deciding to leave well enough alone. "Well, I've read all about the accounts of what happened at Melaswen," I said. "But so much of that doesn't make sense. You were there and victim to the scheme, so maybe you can't see just how nonsensical the whole thing was. If Tony hated you and John, why didn't he just kill you all off for real?"

"To make us suffer for as long as possible?" Jack halfway answered, shaking his head.

"That was a lot of money and trouble to go to, just to make you suffer...and then there is the motive. There were eleven Stalker victims; well, ten if you don't count Tony's faking of his own death that time! Abe Carver, Maggie Horton, Caroline Brady, Cassie Brady, Roman Brady, Victor Kiriakis, Doug Williams, Alice Horton, Marlena Black and you. Now Abe, Roman, Marlena and you were all tied with John Black and Aremid investigation; but what about the others? What did they have to do with any of that? Why pick on poor Alice Horton, for example?"

Jack shrugged.

"Typical Mafia strategy. He wanted to hurt the people that his victims loved to make them suffer as much as possible. He also had a thing about couples in love, seeing as how he was thwarted from being blissfully happy with the love of his life..."

I winced at hearing Kristen Blake described as the love of Tony's life. Maybe I was just getting too close to Renee, but I was starting to truly despise that woman, even if she was dead.

"OK, and where does that leave Cassie and Victor? Tony had once thought of Cassie as a daughter; she wasn't close enough to Roman or Kate to be or real agony to them. And did anyone really miss Victor?"

"Well, maybe he had some other problem with them. Cassie told me herself that she had figured out that Marlena was the 'killer' and that she knew too much. So with her, it was bad timing. And Victor's death was brought on by Jan Spears. Tony just happened to be at the right place at the right time to dig up him."

"But that's crazy and doesn't make any sense..."

"Well, Dimera is crazy! That's what I'm trying to tell you! As mad as a hatter! And now he's already tried to have one of his goons kill us!"

I gasped.

"You think Tony tried to have us killed at Aremid?"

"Who else would have something to hide at Aremid?"

The thought made me sick somehow. No, Tony would not try to kill me. EJ Wells maybe, Stefano maybe, but not Tony...no...

"Leigh, whatever fixation you have on Tony Dimera, whatever compulsion you have to defend this man for whatever reason...well, he doesn't know you have it. To him, you are just a pesky reporter looking into something that you shouldn't be any part of."

"How could he get to me from prison?"

"The Dimeras have lots of corrupt contacts and can move quickly. Prison won't keep Tony from killing if he wants to. And someone set fire to Aremid tonight...and then blew up your rental car. Someone who has been following you all the way from London. Someone who knows what you're up to."

I was silent, unable to respond to what Jack was saying.

"I don't think it takes too much effort to figure out what's going on. Do you? Tony's trying to kill you."

---------------------------------------

When we finally reached the Salem Inn and booked our separate rooms, I collapsed in an exhausted heap.

...and this time there were nightmares...

Nightmares of a sharp steely knife slicing into my back...

Nightmares of a ferocious tiger, pouncing on me and ripping into me...

...And my killer had Tony's face...


	6. Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Ch. 6 – Mad Dogs and Englishmen

There was a steady and persistent knocking on the door, driving me mad...

"Rise and shine, Miss Daniels! Today is the first day of the rest of your life!"

Jack's overly boisterous voice roused me from my nightmare-laden sleep.

I groaned in agony and annoyance, feeling a raging headache coming on.

Did I really fancy myself having a crush on Jack at one time? Now I was beginning to wonder how Jennifer had put up with him for so many years.

"Go away, Jack..." I mumbled, turning over and covering my ears with a hotel pillow.

"Would you prefer another cliché with your morning coffee?" he continued. "Come on, Daniels, up and 'at 'em."

Oh, I was going to 'up and at em' him!

Since I slept in my clothes, I didn't have to worry about the niceties of putting on a robe. Stomping my barefoot way angrily to the door, I flung it open.

"I WOULD PREFER THAT YOU GET STUFFED!" I announced childishly.

Although my barbed arrow hit its target, resulting in the famous Deveraux smirk, I was horrified at my own behavior for Jack was not alone at the doorway. By his side was a handsome tall man with dark curly hair, greenish-grey eyes and a tolerant easy smile. He was wearing a beige trench coat, tan pants, dark brown leather shoes, looking every inch the handsome British gentleman. He could have been on the cover of a magazine.

"Oh, excuse me..." I stammered nervously as I smoothed over my hair.

"Quite alright," the dreamboat replied good-naturedly in a perfect English accent. "I know from experience that Jack can have such an effect on people..."

"Right-o then!" Jack spouted in a stupid imitation, going full-throttle with his grating eccentricities this morning. "May I present to you Captain Donovan of the ISA?"

More than ever, I wanted to kill Jack for bringing Captain Shane Donovan to my hotel room without even so much as a wake-up call. After no shower, no change of clothes and having been roughed up from the explosion, I had to look horrible.

Tentatively, I shook Donovan's perfectly-manicured hand.

"Excuse my appearance, Captain Donovan," I apologized. "My suitcase of clothes blew up along with my car..."

"No problem at all, Miss Daniels," Donovan nodded with understanding. "Perhaps after we clear things up a bit, I could arrange to get you some clothing and other necessities..."

"Thank you, Captain Donovan." Looking pointedly at Jack, I emphasized, "Unlike some men I know, you're a REAL gentleman."

"Fine thanks I get for saving your life..." Jack harrumphed as he led Shane into the room. "Ungrateful women seem to be the bane of my existence."

"I don't believe I asked for your help, Jack," I bickered.

"Alright, enough you two," Shane lectured, sounding a bit like Daddy telling us to play nice. "I'm sure you're both a bit frayed after your recent adventure."

"That's putting it mildly," I agreed with a wan smile.

"Shall we get down to business then?"

We handed the evidence bag with the diary pages and pen to Shane Donovan and explained how we had nearly been killed right after their discovery.

"Going to Aremid alone like that was incredibly foolhardy," Donovan chastised us. "Perhaps Miss Daniels is not aware of the danger involved, but Jack, I thought you would have had more sense!"

"I was merely trying to save a damsel in distress..." Jack piped up.

"I didn't need saving!"

"Oh?" Jack asked. "Was that before or after someone tried to set you on fire? Was that before or after your car blew up?"

"Time out, kids, time out..." Shane interrupted. "Now you say this was found in a secret compartment in one of the bookcases in the study at Aremid, the same room where Tony allegedly shot himself?"

"That's right," Jack nodded. "And Leigh Dimera here knew exactly where it was all along!"

"That's not true!" I argued. But how could I possibly explain to these two relatively rational men that the ghost of Renee Dimera had helped me? "It was just a hunch..."

"That was one hell of a hunch, Miss Daniels," Shane Donovan remarked. "If you'll pardon my saying so..."

"Darned straight it is!" Jack added.

So now these men were both ganging up on me, I thought. Now it was time to give the third degree to the strange new Dimera chick who has popped up out from nowhere...

"Look, Captain Donovan," I started. "Obviously, Jack has already told you about my...heritage..."

"Yes, a bit. But I would like to hear your side of the story."

I explained to Shane Donovan and Jack how I had come upon my real past. I told them about how I wanted to learn as much as I could about my secret family and how I had done a lot of research on the subject. There was no way I could tell them about my supernatural bond with Renee, but I did venture to say that I had a special fascination with my deceased aunt, seeing as how she was my mirror image.

"And so I saw the book of GONE WITH THE WIND," I explained. "And I knew it was Renee's favorite book. I thought it was intriguing that a copy of her favorite story should be in there in the house. And I just went to look at it, that was all. It was really just a freaky coincidence."

"Well, I agree with the freaky part, anyway..." Jack answered with skepticism. "But I think the rest is bunk."

"There is no need to attack her, Jack," Captain Donovan responded. "After all, if she were truly the right-hand man of Stefano Dimera, I doubt these attacks on her life would have occurred at all."

"Well, I guess you have a point there," Jack acknowledged, albeit grudgingly.

"You're actually seeing reason?" I jumped on the opportunity to goad Jack, more out of stress and hurt at his accusations than anything else. "I don't believe it!"

"Well, can you blame me?!" Jack bellowed back, flailing his arms out dramatically. "You have NO IDEA, Miss Daniels or Dimera or whoever-you-are, just how much Tony Dimera messed up my life! He stole years from me! Years away from my wife! Years away from my daughter! Years away from my son when he was just a baby! Years that I will never get back!"

"And how is what Tony did to you my fault?" I responded angrily. "I never did anything to hurt you, Jack. All I did was work for you, trying to be the best reporter that I could be for the London Spectator, despite what a tyrant you could be as a boss. And how do you repay me? You ambush me at Aremid, under the guise of trying to help me, and then drag me here to Salem – right in the heart of Dimera Country -- where I could be killed at any time!"

"Now that's a slight distortion of the facts, Leigh..." Jack started. "And you know it!"

"Look, Miss Daniels," Shane Donovan interrupted. "Let me assure you that you're under my custody and I'll have tight security on you around the clock. There's no reason to think that anything will happen to you now..."

Out of politeness, I stayed silent. But I had my doubts. I was sure a lot of Dimera victims had security on them before they were killed in the past.

"So what happens now?" Jack asked.

"Well, obviously we need to run DNA and handwriting tests on this new evidence and see what comes of it," Shane answered. "Normally, I would just dismiss this as pointless, seeing as how Andre Dimera is dead and Tony Dimera is in prison. But, still, with the arson and explosion that happened at Aremid, there must be something that the Dimeras are desperately trying to hide...and with that bunch, we could use all of the clues we can get as to what they're up to!"

"How long will that take?" I asked. "To get the evidence tested?"

"A few days."

"Days?!" Jack asked.

"Yes, I'm going to request a specialist from the ISA to handle this one. There have been entirely too many incidents in the past where the police evidence in Salem is tampered with, particularly where the Dimeras are concerned. Lab technicians, policemen, doctors...there are too many corrupt people on the Dimera payroll. These diary pages wouldn't last two minutes with the Salem PD."

"Seems reasonable enough, I suppose," Jack admitted.

"I want this information to be definitive and the last word. That way, all questions regarding Andre Dimera are put to rest once and for all. In the meantime, we'll have to find a place for you two to stay."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Why can't we just stay here?"

"The Salem Inn's a fine hotel, but the security is lacking. I want to see if I can get you police custody."

"So you don't trust our evidence with the Salem PD, but you'll trust our lives with the Salem PD?" Jack asked.

Usually I thought Jack was a bit too cynical, but this time he was right.

"Sorry, Jack," Shane shrugged. "For Dimera evidence, the ISA will foot the bill. For bodyguards, they won't."

"Well, I see where the priorities of the ISA are," I remarked coolly. "Brownie points before human lives."

"Save it for your next exclusive, Miss Daniels," Jack commented. "I can already tell that Captain Donovan has his mind made up."

"It's not up to me, Jack," Donovan shrugged. "Now, for heaven's sake, let's stop wasting time and get you two in safer quarters."

Still, I had a sick feeling that I wouldn't be really safe anywhere.

---------------------------------

As Shane drove us to the Salem police station, I looked out of the back seat car window, wide-eyed. There were so many places I'd heard of and read about in my studies that I felt a bit like a gawky tourist.

On this particular day, the sun was shining brightly. Salem seemed like your average city. A large park. Fancy shopping centers. A downtown metropolis area with the building of Titan Publishing looming in the skyline. We drove by Salem Place...where Cassie Brady's 'death' had occurred, her lithe body falling from a Thanksgiving piñata in a bloody heap. There was Salem Hospital...where Tony Dimera had faked one of his many fake deaths, appearing to be slowly poisoned by Marlena Black, the supposed serial killer. There was Chez Rouge...a swanky restaurant owned by Maggie Horton, one of the Salem Stalker victims. The place was teeming over with history and legends...most of them spurred on by the doings of my notorious family, the Dimeras.

"So what do you think of our little burg, Leigh?" Jack asked. "Much sunnier than London?"

I didn't answer. Yes, the weather was warmer, but I still felt clammy with nerves.

As Shane escorted us down the dismal hallways of the Salem Police Department, I felt extremely uneasy.

There was something so eerily familiar about this building, about this entire town...as if I had lived here myself. Everything was neat and perfect and in its place. There was something so surreal about it all.

"Shane Donovan, you old dog!"

The rusty-haired cop in the plaid shirt and blue jeans slapped Donovan heartily on the shoulder, a broad grin on his face. I recognized the twangy voice of Roman Brady from Jack's CD.

"What are you doing here? And Jack!?" Roman Brady exclaimed, his eyes crinkling with interest. "What da hell are you doin' in town? And who's this...?"

At the sight of me, the police officer dropped the large file he was holding, papers scattering all over the floor.

"Roman, did I hear that Shane was...?"

Another man entered the office we were in and stopped abruptly at the sight of me, mouth gaping.

"It's incredible..." the man who I surmised to be Abe Carver pronounced. "Absolutely incredible!"

I realized that with all of the excitement, I had forgotten to don my usual disguise. So they were seeing me in my full glory as Renee's lookalike. And I remembered from my study that both Roman and Abe were present at Renee's party on the night of her death. Indeed, they were in on the investigation, so they remembered my ghostly twin all too well.

"Oh, how clumsy of me..." Shane Donovan muttered. "I had forgotten that part of it."

"Nice going," Jack responded, always keen to needle.

"Gentlemen, this is Leigh Daniels," Shane introduced me. "I was hoping to get her under high security police protection during her stay in Salem..."

"Shane, you may not know this, but she's the spittin' image of..." Roman started.

"...Renee Dimera," I answered. "Yes, merely an uncanny resemblance, I assure you. I'm not another Phoenix risen from the ashes."

"Let me do the talking, if you please, Miss Daniels," Shane suggested.

"Of course."

Captain Donovan then proceeded to plead my case for extra security measures, explaining who I was and the dangerous circumstances that I was in. But even with all of Donovan's verbal skills and political savvy, he could not entirely relieve Roman Brady and Abe Carver of their suspicions against me. When asked specifically about why such protection was necessary, Shane absolutely would not answer, convinced that if the Salem PD knew about the Dimera diary pages, they would somehow muck up all of the evidence.

"That is ISA business, gentlemen," Shane answered. "And I'm really not at liberty to discuss it."

"Look, Shane, you're a buddy of mine and all that," Roman Brady interrupted. "But what da hell were you thinkin'...bringin' a Dimera into this town? Don't we have enough on our hands with tryin' to keep EJ Wells in line and..."

"Did I hear my name, gentlemen?"

My heart leapt in my throat with panic at the sound of the cultured voice. I knew that voice from all of the television interviews I had studied over the years, packed with fans and racecars and adoring women.

I did not dare turn to face the sole Dimera left in Salem, Mr. EJ Wells.

"EJ, how dare you waltz into this office like you own the place!" Abe Carver seethed. "Get out now before I have you arrested!"

"And wouldn't that be wonderful PR for the old Salem PD after our recent legal battles, eh?"

With that blithe rejoinder, EJ Wells arrogantly ignored the policemen and entered the room jauntily. Deliberately, he brushed past me and then he turned to face me head-on. The wealthy businessman, famed star of the racing track, was dressed immaculately in a gray suit, every dark hair immaculately in place. He seemed to reek of money and power. There was a broad smile on his face as he observed me. He looked like a cat who had just swallowed a canary.

I wanted to scream.

"Get out, Wells!" Roman Brady shouted. "Now!"

EJ's blue eyes gleamed as he looked as if he could devour me whole, although whether his interest was that of lust or bloodshed, I couldn't say. I shivered, my skin crawling with fear. Strangely, I felt attracted and repelled by the charismatic man at the same time.

"Well, hello there!" he purred in a silky voice. "I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure, Miss..."

I didn't dare answer him. It seemed that I would be doomed with any syllable that I would utter.

"Shy, are we?" he smirked with a devilish grin. "How charming..."

I suddenly had the urge to slap his condescending smirk off of his face, deciding that I didn't like him at all.

"You seem oddly familiar. Have we met somewhere before?"

"Quite an original line, Wells," Jack responded, jumping in to my defense, stepping in between me and EJ Wells. "Why don't you try it on somebody else? Someone who's interested maybe?"

This time, I was truly grateful for Jack's help.

EJ flicked a contemptuous glance at the unwanted intruder.

"Mr. Deveraux, what brings you back to town? Not enough excitement in London this time of year? Or did you come to visit your brother in the loony bin?"

I had never seen Jack look like he was about to punch out someone's lights before, but he actually tensed up like he was going to hit the man. I grabbed Jack's arm with worry, knowing that the subject of Steve Johnson was a sore one with him.

"That's enough, EJ!" Abe Carver threatened. "Now do I have to call security?"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Carver," EJ shrugged. "I'm going. I was just hoping that Sami Brady might have been around here. She hasn't come to visit Daddy, has she?"

"Why would my daughter want to have a thing to do with you, Wells?" Roman growled.

"Very well, I'll take that as a no."

As EJ started to exit, he looked back at me with that incorrigible flirtatious leer.

"Goodbye, Miss Whoever-You-Are. Another time perhaps, when you have less..." He looked at all of the men surrounding me. "...knights-in-shining-armor at your balcony. Au revoir..."

EJ blew a kiss at me and left the room.

For the first time in an eternity, I felt like I could breathe again.

"I could knock that guy's teeth in!"

"Easy, Roman..."

"So I wonder what was that really about?" Shane Donovan pondered.

"That was about me..." I answered with fright. "That was all about me...I'm sure of it..."

Jack put a soothing arm around me, but I still felt cold...felt like I had just been sought out by the devil...


	7. Failure to Communicate

After the mysterious encounter with EJ Wells at the police station, all parties agreed that I needed to stay somewhere where there would be the uppermost protection against the Dimeras.

"Leigh Daniels can stay with me..." Roman Brady volunteered. "I'll keep an eye on her alright..."

Roman Brady's suggestion made me uneasy. I didn't like the tone the cop was using, as if he was protecting Salem from me rather than me from the Dimeras.

"Look, I don't know that I like the idea of staying with a strange man alone..." I suggested, looking hopefully at Jack for help.

"Just what are you implyin' about me, Miss Daniels?" Roman countered. "I'm one of the safest guys you could stay with. Ask anyone in town!"

"OK," Jack interrupted. "Roman, please don't get offended, but Leigh has a point. There's no need to make her stay somewhere where she's uncomfortable."

"Well," Abe volunteered. "I normally wouldn't suggest this...but I guess she could say with me."

All of us looked questioningly at the police captain.

"I don't know, Abe..." Jack countered. "Isn't Celeste Perrault staying with you nowadays? She's in thick with the Dimeras, isn't she? Used to be Stefano's mistress and all that..."

Abe shrugged.

"She used to be. But not since way back during the days of Maison Blanche. Now she's just Theo's grandmother...and she's been a real help and a godsend since Lexie..." The room became silent at the memory of Lexie Carver, Abe's wife recently discovered missing and presumed dead. "Look, Miss Daniels, I live with my son and his grandmother so at my place. You'll rarely find yourself alone and nervous, believe me! In fact, you probably won't get a moment's peace..."

I sized up Abe Carver. He seemed tough but kind, the kind of guy you could trust.

"Seems like a good idea to me, Leigh," Shane agreed.

"OK..." I nodded, swallowing nervously.

"Well, that's settled then," Shane said jovially. "Now I do have some rather pressing ISA business that I must attend to immediately." He looked pointedly at me and Jack as he said so, hinting that the business was those diary pages. "Jack, perhaps you should stay with Roman for the time being until the coast is clear."

Jack and Roman both groaned with horror at the prospect but agreed nonetheless.

"Well," Abe said cheerfully. "My workday looks like it's coming to an end, Leigh. So perhaps we should get you settled at my place right away."

I nodded, still worried.

Jack, sensing my mood, came to my side.

"Gentlemen, if I could just have a word or two with my employee..."

Deveraux took me by the arm and took me out of the office and down the hall.

"Leigh, you have nothing to worry about," he said, patting my shoulder reassuringly. "I've known Abe a long time and have been with several tight scrapes with him over the years. He's a good guy. Trust me."

"I'm sure he is, Jack," I nodded, but it didn't ease the nagging concern in my gut. "It's just that whole thing with EJ in there. I guess I'm starting to realize just how complicated things are getting."

"So EJ creeps people out..." Jack shrugs. "It's what he does best. He likes to threaten people and put them on edge. But the Salem PD have your back now. You're OK."

Both of us smiled wanly, but neither of us really believed in what he was saying. If a Dimera wanted revenge, it would take more than a few cops to stop him.

"Thank you for standing up to EJ in there, by the way," I volunteered, looking pleadingly up at Jack. "And thanks for being by my side at Aremid. You were so courageous and fast-thinking. And you're right. I might have died out there in Aremid if it hadn't been for you."

Jack looked a little sheepish. Maybe he had a hard time taking a compliment.

"Shucks, tweren't nothin', ma'am," he joked. "Just another day on the ranch..."

"You're a hero, Jack," I said. "And someday, when I'm back on the London Spectator, I'm going to tell Jennifer and Vern and Harold what a great guy you really are."

Jack grimaced.

"You do that and I'll fire you! I have an image to protect, you know..."

I couldn't help but laugh, even while I felt like I was going to cry. In fact, I was already starting to tear up.

"Now what's all this sob story stuff..." Jack consoled me, putting an arm around me as we walked back to Roman Brady's office. "There's no crying in baseball! Besides, once Shane finds out the answers with those diary pages, you'll be back in London in no time...and then you're going to have to quit loafing around and get back to work."

"I hope so, Jack."

-------------------------------------------

"Dear Lord in Heaven!"

Celeste Perrault looked as if she were about to faint at the sight of me.

"It is a bit of a jolt, isn't it?" Abe acknowledged.

I sighed with exasperation, feeling like a freak.

To be honest, Celeste wasn't exactly the most ordinary person on the planet either. Wearing a crazy-looking wig and a bright yellow dress with a large picture hat, she looked like she had stepped out of an old episode of DYNASTY.

"Excuse me, Miss Daniels," Celeste exclaimed. "It's just that...well, when I was with Stefano, I had seen many pictures of his daughter...and the resemblance is...remarkable!"

Celeste's statement about Renee stirred up my insatiable obsession once more.

"Do you have any pictures here of my aunt Renee here?" I asked curiously, unable to help myself.

"None here, darling," Celeste shook her head firmly. "I have tried to divorce myself from all associations with that family. Especially since the death of my daughter, Alexandra..."

Both Abe and Celeste seemed to sink with sorrow at the memories of Lexie Carver. The daughter of Stefano Dimera and Celeste. Another deceased aunt of mine, I realized.

"I know a bit about Lexie's death from my research," I acknowledged. "I am deeply sorry for your loss."

"To be honest," Celeste said, her eyes flaring with renewed bitterness. "I'm not sure if I like a Dimera staying in this house, Abraham...especially with little Theo around..."

"Now, Celeste," Abe cautioned. "There is no need to..."

"Who's that, Daddy?"

An adorable little boy came into the room, clutching at Abe's hand.

"This is Leigh, Theo," Abe said indulgingly. I could tell right away that, for Abe, his whole world revolved around his son. "She's going to stay with us for a few days."

"Why?"

We all looked a little uncomfortable at the outright question.

"It has to do with your father's work, Darling..." Celeste soothed, picking the little boy up protectively. "And while she's going to stay here, are you going to be a good boy and pick up all of your toys and try not to run around like a wild little monkey?"

Theo sighed and shrugged petulantly, causing us all to laugh at his hangdog expression.

----------------------

Even though I had only been staying with Abe and Celeste for one day, it seemed like an eternity. It wasn't the company. They were as hospitable and polite as they could be, under the circumstances. It was me. I was a reporter. I was used to life in the fast lane, running after stories, chasing excitement. After living such a fast-paced existence for so long, it was hard for me to sit still and do nothing, even harder to relax.

When Celeste wanted to know if I needed anything, I gave her my clothing size and asked for at least a few changes of casual clothing from the local mall. Also, I asked for some puzzle magazines. She thought the last request an odd one. Perhaps it was. But with the Dimera threat hanging over my head, I did not have the peace of mind to watch television or to read a book. The images and words just wouldn't register in my brain. I needed something to keep me busy...but also something to allow my mind to race unheeded.

When she arrived with the magazines, I almost sighed with relief. At last, I had something to fill out the horrible hours, waiting for Shane Donovan to get back to me with whatever he had discovered.

Puzzle after puzzle was attempted, some completed and some unfinished. Crosswords, kriss krosses, anacrostics, word finds...

"What is that?"

Little Theo was at my side, pointing at a Word Find puzzle that I was doing.

I showed him how to look for the words on the list in the maze of scrambled letters.

"Cool!" he raved. "That looks like fun. Can I do one?"

"Theo," Celeste cautioned, sitting on the sofa in the far corner. "Why don't you leave Leigh in peace, darling?"

I could tell that Celeste was really warning her grandson to stay away from the big bad Dimera on the other side of the room. As she sat knitting, her eyes seemed to be burning a hole into me.

As children are wont to do, Theo completely ignored his grandmother. I ripped a page out of my magazine, hoping to smooth things over as I handed the puzzle to him.

"Thanks!" he enthused. "Do you know how to play checkers?"

"Sure," I smiled with amusement. "It's been a while though."

"Chess?"

I was taken aback at his question.

Celeste continued to stare at me with interest. I knew that chess was the Dimera game of choice, but I had never played a game in my life. I didn't know a pawn from a bishop on a chessboard.

"Nope, sorry."

"Bummer. Mommy was good at chess. We had a lot of good games together. She used to let me win."

As Theo thought about his mother, his big brown eyes grew horribly sad. He looked as if he were about to burst into mournful tears at any moment.

"Hey, I play a mean game of Scrabble though..." I volunteered, desperately hoping to avoid seeing a cute kid lose it right before my eyes.

"Yeah?" Theo asked, distracted from his memories. "Want to play a game?"

"Well..." I hesitated. I didn't want Celeste Perrault for an enemy...and she had made it no secret that she was suspicious of me. "Maybe you'd better ask your grandmother first."

"Grandma, can I?" he asked. "Please, please, please..."

Celeste glared at me, then melted at the sight of her grandson's puppy dog face.

"Of course, Darling," she answered before looking at me with a challenge. "We'll all play, yes?"

------------------------------------

"Well, what's all this?" Abe grinned with a hearty laugh as he returned home from work.

Celeste, Theo and I were all crouched over our Scrabble board intently as if we were all competing in some sort of international Scrabble tournament. The days had turned to a week...and I still hadn't heard a thing. To avoid unpleasantness and boredom, Celeste and I started playing Scrabble on a regular basis, including Theo when he was interested. And I had to say that Celeste was one wicked Scrabble player. I had truly met my match.

"Someone still has to have the Q..." Celeste pondered. "And there are three Us on the board already."

"OK, I know better than to get in the middle of this," Abe joked good-naturedly as he went into the bedroom down the hall. "I'm gonna take a nap. It's been a long day at the office."

"I suppose there was no word from Shane trying to contact me...?"

I knew I was driving Abe crazy as I had to have asked him about this every day.

"Sorry, Leigh."

"Can we take a break?" Theo asked. "My TV show's about to come on."

"Of course, Darling."

With Abe and Theo gone, the living room suddenly became quite silent. I shifted awkwardly in my chair.

"May I get you something to drink, Leigh? Some tea, perhaps?" Celeste volunteered, perhaps in hopes of alleviating the tension between us.

"Sure."

"Come in the kitchen with me, Darling."

I dutifully followed her, grateful that she at least trusted me enough not to stab her with a butcher knife while her back was turned.

"I must admit, Leigh, that it has been a pleasure having you here over the past few days," Celeste admitted hesitantly. "You are so good with Theo. The way you play with him...and with our little games, he seems to be having more fun than he's had in ages. Ever since Alexandra..."

"Well, I'm glad to help," I answered, sincerely meaning it. "Ever since my parents died, this is the closest to a family situation I had been in for a long time."

"Your parents' deaths were very hard on you, weren't they, Darling?"

"Sure," I shrugged, not really wanting to go there.

"You must have had to work very hard to find some sort of activity, some kind of distraction from the pain..."

"Yes," I answered with some bemusement, wondering where this was going.

"Do you really think digging into Dimera secrets is the best way to do this?"

"Wow!" I responded in admiration. "You don't pull your punches, do you?"

"I believe in being direct," Celeste shrugged. "Putting all of the cards on the table, so to speak. I know you may find this hard to believe. Most people do. But I get...feelings...about people, Leigh."

"How do you mean?"

"Premonitions...impressions...ESP, if you will."

"Oh," I nodded, humoring her.

OK, I knew the woman was weird but now I had written her off as crazy. I could practically hear the cuckoo singing in the cuckooberry tree...

_Look who's talking!_

I gasped at the sound of Renee's laughing voice in my head.

"Oh, I hope I haven't scared you, Darling. You seemed like the brave open-minded type."

Celeste's words dragged me back to reality.

"Sorry," I answered quickly, shrugging off my rude ghost. "It wasn't you."

"I can tell that you are a good person, Leigh,." Celeste continued. "Not like the other Dimeras. That is why I feel compelled to warn you, Darling. All of this digging around that you have been doing...going to Aremid...it will only get you into trouble."

"Believe me, Celeste, I can't count all of the warnings and lectures I've gotten already about Aremid!" I chuckled nervously. "But it's a little late now. With the attempts on my life and this evidence and all, I'm afraid I'm in danger up to my neck already!"

"What I really want to know is why, Darling? I know that you have found out about your past history with the Dimeras...but that does not justify how you have put yourself in such danger."

"It's a good story for the newspaper," I lied with a shrug.

"This is more than just a story for a newspaper and you know it. This has to do with the past...with secrets that have been kept for a long time...doesn't it?"

I barely knew the woman, yet she seemed to be delving right into my soul. Maybe she really did have special powers, because she knew. Somehow...she knew!

"Celeste, you said you believed in the supernatural, right?"

"Yes," she answered, waiting expectantly for me to continue.

"Do you believe in...ghosts?"

"Absolutely!"

I was taken aback.

"You do?"

"Of course, Darling. I've spoken with spirits from the Other World many times..."

"Well, it seems...that I have my own ghost."

"I see. Anyone I know?"

"Sort of. Renee..."

"Ah..."

Celeste sounded as if she suddenly understood everything. The way she was so matter-of-fact about the whole thing blew me away.

"This is going to sound crazy."

"You can tell me anything, Darling. I won't judge you, I promise."

"Well, Renee haunts me in dreams. Sometimes, she sort of shows up when I'm awake too...every now and then. That was how I found the diary pages at Aremid. She led me to Aremid."

"Renee wants something from you," Celeste said. It was not a question but a statement. "She won't let you rest until you give in to her."

"Yes."

As crazy as my confession was, it felt good to be able to tell the truth to somebody. Somebody who would not lock me in a mental institution for telling it.

"And all this has to do with Antony, I suppose?"

I looked at Celeste in amazement.

"How did you know?"

Celeste shrugged as if the answer were right there in front of her face.

"Renee was the love of Antony's life," she said. "Stefano always said so. Oh, there were others. Liz, Anna, Kristen...but Renee...she was the special one. Death put Renee on a pedestal for both Stefano and Antony. She was their goddess who they loved much more after she was gone than ever was when she was alive. Sometimes, I believe they tried to make Kristen Blake over in the image of Renee, adopting her as Stefano's daughter and marrying her off to Tony. Needless to say, the attempt was a failure. Kristen never had the deep love for Antony that Renee had. And Renee's passions ran deep. She truly loved Antony and he loved her. If she had lived, well, perhaps everything would have turned out differently."

"How so?" I asked, incredibly curious.

"Renee had a close bond with her father. Perhaps Stefano would not have become quite such a monster had she lived. Antony would not have become mixed up with Kristen. There would be no cursed EJ Wells. Alexandra might still be here. And as for Antony..."

Celeste shook her head in dismay.

"Ah, he is truly the saddest case of all...aside from my poor daughter, of course. Such a handsome man, so charming with such potential. He could have had the world at his feet for all of his life, had Stefano not turned him over to the dark side. Perhaps I am giving Renee too much credit, but with her love, she could have married Antony and had his children. Perhaps given the Dimera name a sense of love and dignity rather than a legacy of death and destruction."

"But I don't understand," I ventured. "Didn't Tony turn out to be Stefano's real son after all? Wouldn't the marriage have been null and void if Tony and Renee were really brother and sister?"

Caught off-guard by my question, Celeste did not answer immediately.

"Leigh, again you are asking too many dangerous questions."

Celeste's mysterious answer intrigued me more than ever.

"I think...that Renee wants me to defend Tony somehow," I continued. "To prove him innocent...or to redeem him...somehow...but I don't quite understand what she is trying to tell me..." Perhaps having been around Jack Deveraux too much, I resorted to a bad joke. "What we have here is a failure to communicate."

"My dear, you are in terrible danger."

Celeste's abrupt warning of doom made my heart race as I whirled around to face her.

"Yes, I know that."

"No, this is much much worse than you think! Renee's spirit is leading you into a dark underworld in which you may not be able to escape."

Her prophecy of doom and gloom made me shiver.

"I know, but what can I do?" I begged. "She's driving me to do these things. She won't allow me to stop!"

"There is nothing you can do," Celeste acknowledged with knowing eyes. "Her spirit has a hold on you and won't let go...not until she gets what she wants."

"So I suppose my days are numbered then..." I responded, feeling bereft. "I don't know how to stop this haunting. Either I am killed by the Dimeras by being too nosy or Renee drives me mad. What am I going to do?"

"Perhaps there is a way, Darling," Celeste said, mysteriously. "Perhaps...there is a way..."


	8. Secrets of Aremid

Another week later, Shane finally arrived at Abe's doorstep with the test results on the evidence we had found at Aremid. I was pleased to see that Jack had accompanied him.

"So I suppose this is all confidential?" Abe asked, about to leave the living room.

Shane shook his head in response.

"You might as well stick around for this, Abe. You'll find out about this soon enough. This information is too big to be kept a secret for long."

We all waited with bated breath for more of the scoop.

"Apparently, a lot more has been going on for years than any of the authorities knew about," Shane began, shrugging with disbelief. "The findings are quite remarkable. Unbelievable almost."

"Well, what is it?" I asked, on pins and needles to find out what we had discovered.

"Well, it seems that the DNA on the diary pages was that of Andre Dimera as Tony had previously claimed. Andre had survived all of those years and did somehow have a hand in the Aremid plot."

"What's so remarkable about that?" Jack asked. "Besides the fact that Tony Dimera told the truth for once..."

"Hold on to your hats, folks!" Shane warned. "You're right, Jack. The pages of the diary were not quite so surprising. It was the pen device that was the 'smoking gun', so to speak."

"Device?" I asked. "You mean that wasn't an ordinary pen?"

"That pen was a remote control, no question about it. For some time, we knew that some sort of mechanism was used for the frame-up, but none of the investigators could pinpoint the method used. This remote control pen gives us some clues as to what had really happened that night. And here is the corker! The DNA and fingerprint test results on the remote control were not that of either Tony nor Andre Dimera. That is why the process of testing has taken longer than expected. We had to do an extensive search to find out who actually pulled the trigger of the remote control."

"So we know who it was?" I asked.

"Yes. A man from Salem with family ties here. His name is...was...David Banning."

"Dear God!" Abe Carver cried out. "DAVID?!"

"Exactly..." Shane answered.

"Who's David Banning?" Jack asked.

"He was Renee's ex-husband..." I murmured in disbelief. "And Julie Williams' son."

From my research, I was somewhat familiar with David Banning's history. When Renee thought that she had been Tony's sister, she married David in an attempt to put aside her forbidden and shameful feelings for the man she discovered to be her brother, Tony. When Tony discovered what he thought at the time was the truth, that he was not Stefano's son, he had tried to stop the marriage but was too late. Renee tried to stay committed to her husband, but things were not working out. There was a nasty and bitter divorce. David had even been the number one suspect in Renee's murder case for a long time until proven innocent.

"You're telling me that this man...this David Banning guy...was the one who was shot...the man who died that night?" Jack asked.

"We have no conclusive evidence of that yet," Shane admitted. "But that is very likely. Look, we only know two things for sure at this point. One, Andre Dimera did not die in the quicksand pit on Stefano's island and had some hand in constructing the Aremid diary. And two, David Banning's prints were on the pen device in Aremid."

"But how could they make David Banning kill himself?" Jack asked. "That's crazy."

"Jack, Jack..." Shane tsked. "Come on! You and Abe of ALL people should know how skilled the Dimeras are at faking deaths and employing brainwashing techniques. Just look at Melaswen, for heaven's sake! Marlena was brainwashed into thinking she was a killer. Several peoples' 'deaths' were faked. Public officials, medical examiners, policemen...all had been somehow coerced or bribed into working for the Dimeras. That was a MAJOR endeavor! How much trouble would it to be to fake one man's death in Aremid, considering all that happened later on?"

"You definitely have a point there," Abe nodded.

"So you think Tony...or Andre...faked his death, but David Banning was the buried body?" I asked.

"No," Shane answered. "David had to have at least pulled the trigger on himself."

"But Tony was the one with the bullet wound," Jack said. "The man who everyone thought died."

"Or a man who looked like Tony," I guessed. "And that lookalike was not Andre. A man who possibly had plastic surgery or a latex mask. A man brainwashed to think that he was Tony."

"Exactly," Shane answered, seeming impressed with my answer. "It seems incredible, but that sort of trickery is precisely the M.O. of the Dimeras. Think of all of the examples over the years: John and Marlena Black, Hope Brady, Hattie Adams, Kristen Blake and her lookalike Susan, Sami Brady disguised as 'Stan', the victims of Melaswen...the list goes on and on. David Banning was child's play for them to pull off. Of course, this is all speculation at this point, but David could very well have been altered and brainwashed to appear to be and act like Tony and made to kill himself."

"But no one even knew about his disappearance!" Abe exclaimed. "He has a lot of family in this town. Wouldn't Julie Williams have noticed that her own son was missing?"

"We've already discussed this with Julie," Shane confirmed. "David's son, Scott, had a falling out with David and they had not been on speaking terms for some time. Julie had kept in touch with her grandson over the years, not so much with David. She is understandably devastated to hear about Banning's fate. She was also a victim of an elaborate ruse. There had been fake e-mails, fake photos, fake phone calls, fake correspondence…all supposedly coming from David."

"Poor Julie!" Jack sympathized, shaking his head.

"But wasn't there an exhumation that Roman Brady oversaw years ago?" I asked Shane. "The one that supposedly proved the body at Aremid was Andre? I guess that was more forgery and fake stuff?"

"Undoubtedly," Shane answered. "I am attempting to arrange another exhumation but the Aremid authorities are being extremely uncooperative on the matter."

"No surprise there," Jack stated. "But why did they pick on David Banning to do their dirty work?"

"Well, there had been a competition between David Banning and Tony Dimera for Renee Dimera's affections," I volunteered. "That could have had something to do with it."

"The way that Tony got so crazy with jealousy over Kristen with John Black, I suppose that fits," Jack said.

"Also, Renee sort of spiraled out of control near the end of her life," I continued. "I suppose that was the beginning of what is thought of as the Dimera 'curse'...that anyone who is a Dimera by blood is destined to become bad. At first, Renee was a lost and confused girl with emotional issues. But after the revelation that she was Stefano's daughter...and especially after his first faked death...she sort of went over the deep end and had made many enemies in Salem. That was why on the night of her murder, there were quite a few possible suspects involved."

Abe, having been there at the time, nodded in confirmation.

"Maybe Stefano blamed David for Renee's self-destruction," he added. "Despite the fact that Andre and Stefano were the actual culprits responsible for her demise. It's not very rational...but no one can accuse Stefano Dimera of being sane."

"So let's say David Banning shot himself and is buried in Aremid," Jack surmised. "And there are Andre's prints on the diary. Then that means Andre is very likely still alive and out there somewhere."

"Or he's the one in prison right now."

"So the solution is elementary, dear Watson…" Jack answered with a self-congratulatory smirk. "Just run one of those ISA specials on the poor schmuck in prison and..."

"I hate to burst your bubble, Jack," Shane said. "But I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"Why? The ISA won't foot the bill?" Jack sniped.

"No. I'm afraid I have some more shocking news...something that just happened this morning. Whichever Dimera it was, well, that man just escaped from prison."

The room was filled with exclamations and gasps at this newest blockbuster.

"Well, the timing of all of this can't be coincidental!" Jack concluded once our shock had died down a little. "So it seems the Dimera payroll even extends to the ISA, right, Shane?"

"I'm afraid so."

"So he knows that we know about David Banning?" I asked fearfully, suddenly feeling icy cold and sick.

"Apparently. It seems that nowadays there is no place completely safe from the Dimeras' reach...or their corruption," Shane said. "To find out about the evidence and arrange a jail break, their crime connections must be stronger than ever before."

"So now there is an angry Dimera on the loose...looking for revenge, no doubt?" Jack guessed.

"Yes, which brings me to my next point…"

Shane looked directly at me.

"Leigh, this news is too explosive to keep quiet. Since Salem is a major base of Dimera operations, this is one of the worst places you could be. I think the best course of action is to get you back to England immediately."

I could have cried with relief.

"Believe me, Shane, I would love to go back home!"

"Well, you can't go home…exactly..."

"Oh, no…" I groaned. "What do you mean? Now what?"

"I checked in with the landlord of your flat in London. As I suspected, your apartment there has already been broken into and vandalized."

"Oh, jeez..."

I thought about all of the research materials I had files of on the Dimeras lying around the place. Whoever broke into my home would know that I knew more than I should have about the Dimeras...that I was a Dimera myself. Add to that my aid in the discovery of David Banning's possible demise...and I was a dead woman walking.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered in fear.

"I think the best course of action is to stay under my protection at Donovan Manor until we can find a better arrangement."

"Great…" I pouted, pacing around the room. This time, I did not quibble about staying with a stranger alone, as I had with Roman Brady's suggestion. The stakes were way too high now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Celeste Perrault quietly sitting in a rocking chair in an adjoining room along the hallway of the Carver house. She must have heard everything. And again she was burning into me with those all-knowing all-seeing eyes! Even though we had become somewhat friendly over the last two weeks, Celeste still was creepy enough to put me on edge.

"Excuse me," I said abruptly, making my way to the bathroom. I splashed some cold water on my face, trying to calm my anxiety. I was so in over my head with everything that was happening. All I had been trying to do was to somehow appease my ghost by proving Tony innocent in Aremid. How was I supposed to know that I would expose another Dimera murder?

"Oh, Renee, what have you gotten me into?" I moaned at my reflection in the mirror. "How could you do this to me?"

--------------------------------------

After I pulled myself together, I left the bathroom to find Jack pacing up and down the hallway, bellowing orders into his cell phone.

"Yes, Vern! Right away! Tony Dimera has escaped from prison. I want it on the front page in big capital letters." He paused for a moment. I could practically hear Vern yelling all the way from England. "I don't care what Jennifer says. Just do it!"

He hung up with an exasperated sigh.

"Jack Deveraux!" I gasped in surprise, racing to his side. "What about your No-Dimera story policy, remember? What happened to that?"

Jack stood tall, pulling his shoulders back, glaring at me haughtily.

"We are newspapermen, Miss Daniels. We have a responsibility to tell our public the truth, regardless of personal inconvenience or danger."

I couldn't help but grin at the change that had come over him.

"Who are you…and what has happened to Jack Deveraux?" I teased.

"Maybe this is the real Jack Deveraux," he shrugged. "And besides, there's no point in avoiding the story. Thanks to you, I'm already in danger up to my neck. Also, if we don't report it, The London Spectator will lose all credibility in the journalism world. It's a business decision. We have no choice. And damned if I'm going to lose another newspaper and end up doing odd jobs in Africa again…"

"You don't have to convince me, Jack. I'm just glad to see that you've finally come to your senses."

I couldn't help myself. I gave my boss a big hug.

"With you on the case, I know we'll find answers. Important answers that might end the Dimera reign of terror once and for all."

"Yes, I hope so," he answered with a grin, looking more rakishly handsome and confident than ever.

But his jovial mood seemed to sink with a dark thought.

"I just hope that Jennifer understands…"

Hmmm. I didn't know what to say to that one.

---------------------------------------------

That evening, I began to pack what little belongings I had in a small cast-off duffle bag of Abe's. Shane would be picking me up in the morning. We would be headed for the airport as soon as possible.

"So you're leaving soon?"

Celeste seemed to have appeared out of thin air, making me jump with nerves.

"Sorry to have scared you, Darling," she said with a gentle smile. "All of this must be horribly stressful for you."

"Yes, you could say that!" I gasped. "And yes, I'm leaving in the morning."

I continued to arrange the duffle bag, telling myself that I was being hypocritical and stupid by being afraid of the woman. After all, I talked to a ghost too. What was the big deal?

"I thought you might be a bit frazzled...so I made you a little treat."

I turned to see her holding two cocktail glasses with little pink umbrellas in them.

"A toast. To celebrate your break in the Aremid case…" She handed me a drink, clinking her glass against mine a few moments later. "I call it the 'Celeste Special'."

The drink did look very tempting. And a little alcohol might be just what I needed to steady my nerves.

Gingerly, I took a sip of the fruity red drink.

"Wow! This is tasty! So does Abe know you're trying to get me crocked?"

"Abraham would be very cross with me if he knew I associated with any spirits outside of the Other World," she responded with a smile. "But this is a special occasion. Drink up, Darling."

I took another sip, relishing the taste of strawberries. This was just what I needed!

"Wow, you should be a bartender!" I enthused, feeling a little better.

Really, I was being silly, getting so distrustful of everyone. Celeste had been very congenial during my stay at the Carvers. And I would be escaping with Shane Donovon to his fancy English manor. And everything would be fine...just fine...

"Speaking of spirits," I confided. "I hope now with this newest revelation that Renee is finally satisfied now. She's been awfully quiet lately. Do you think she's at peace now?"

"I hope so, Darling."

"I'll be glad to at least get back to familiar territory," I babbled on. "Not that Salem isn't a great place, at least what I've seen of it. But I think I've had all of the danger and adventure that I can stand."

"I know that Theo and I shall miss you a great deal," she said with a smile.

"Say goodbye to Theo for me. He's a sweet kid."

There was a momentary silence between us.

"However, I do admit that I worry about you going to Donovan Manor," Celeste finally voiced.

"Why?"

"EJ Wells lived in England for some time, Darling. You mustn't forget that. You will not be safe there, not even with Shane Donovan as your protector."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I quipped, downing the rest of the drink with a nervous grimace. "Do you have to be such a pessimist?"

"Not a pessimist, Darling," she answered. "A realist. I have seen too much over the years. And I have grieved too much. That is why I hope you can forgive me…and understand…"

"Forgive what, Celeste?" I asked.

Suddenly, my head was spinning dizzily. I fell to the floor with a crash.

"Celeste..." I gasped. "What...?"

As the world around me grew dimmer, I cursed myself for being a fool. Taking that drink was the last stupid thing I would ever live to do, for surely I had been poisoned!

---------------------------------

I felt stiff...like I had been sleeping for a very long time. Rolling over on my side, I groaned in exasperation. Jack would be very cross with me if I were late to the office again. I guess I needed to get up.

But something was weird. If only I could figure out what it was...

Opening my eyes in confusion, I saw a man in the shadows, reclined on a sofa, nursing an amber-colored drink. He was clothed in a white silken shirt, dark pants, house slippers and a red silk robe. I closed my eyes…

More dreams...

Obviously, Renee was tormenting me with yet more memories of her long-lost lover. I cursed softly to myself. I had hoped my willful ghost was through with all of her haunting. Tony Dimera was her lover, not mine. Why wouldn't she leave me alone?

"Incredible…"

The softly-spoken word jolted me into wakefulness. Although mentally I felt like I was wading through extremely deep mud, I opened my eyes once more.

Again there was Tony Dimera, leaning forward as he stared at me with intense interest.

And this was no dream!


	9. Tiger's Den

I sat up in a panic, the dark room spinning dizzily about me.

Although I had no idea where I was, the details of the past started to come back to me. I remembered Aremid...and David Banning...and Celeste...

Celeste! She had betrayed me, drugging me with that poison of hers and selling me out to the first available Dimera! How could I have been so foolish as to have trusted her enough to take that drink?

And now this man...Tony Dimera, Andre Dimera...whoever he was...was studying me, sipping his sherry, undoubtedly trying to decide what kind of torture methods to use against me. Hmmm, what would he be in the mood for today? Rape, branding, water torture, burying alive...what?

I began to gasp, feeling nauseous.

"You must relax…"

The man quickly put down his drink and rushed to my side, touching my bare arm. I flinched away from him as if he had burned me.

"D-d-don't t-t-tell me what to d-d-do..." I stuttered, overcome with chills. In my state, I am sure he was not intimidated in the least.

"Lie back..." he coaxed, easing me back against the red velvet sofa bed that I was resting on.

Jeez, I was still in the pink silken nightgown and robe that I had been in when I was packing. Celeste could have at least had the decency to make me presentable before throwing me to the wolves!

"The drug's effect is still very strong. Water would be the best thing. Bart!"

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Get water...quickly..."

"Sure, Boss!"

Bart Beiderbecke, I thought. He was notorious for being the henchman for whatever Dimera was running the show at the time. God, this was all becoming too real. This was no longer just a research project. I was living it!

"I didn't mean t-to find about David B-b-banning..." I pleaded in fear. "It just happened. That's all."

"Sssshhh..."

Again, I felt the man touch me, stroking my hair to calm me down, wiping my face with a wet washcloth. The contact was soothing, but I couldn't really enjoy it, knowing that he was going to kill me. Why was he being nice to me if he was going to kill me?

"Renee made me do it..." I confessed. "She won't leave me alone...she..."

I heard the man inhale sharply at the sound of my ghost's name.

Closing my eyes, I begged for deliverance. I prayed that I would die quick and painless. Not like Renee. How frightened she must have been at the feel of that cold sharp knife plunging into her back! Meeting her doom by way of a killer with her lover's face!

"Damn Celeste!" I heard the man hissed. "She must have overdosed the poor girl for she's obviously delirious and raving..."

"Yeah, she's good and plastered, Boss. I don't think I've even been that bad off before. Not even after one of Bonnie Lockhart's Texas-size margaritas!"

"Oh, shut up, Bart!"

"Yeah, Boss...but what are we going to do with her?"

"Wait it out, I suppose, until she gets better."

I heard the dialogue exchanged. I was confused by what I heard. But I couldn't remember what I was confused about.

And on and on, the man kept stroking my hair gently and lazily...as if he were petting a cat. And I drifted off...willing the whole thing to be just a bizarre nightmare...

------------------------------

…Again, I opened my eyes, the nausea replaced with a raging headache...

I looked around the strange room that I was in. I guessed that I was in some sort of sitting or living room, elaborately decorated in tones of dark reds, browns and blacks with dim lighting, no sign of a window anywhere. There was a framed mantle of two crossed Samurai swords on the wall. At least, I assumed they were Samurai swords. What did I know about medieval armory? And there were all sorts of objects d'art from various cultures – from Africa, Egypt, Greece, who knew from where else?

"Oh, good...you seem to be looking better..."

Dimera again entered the room, carrying a tray with a croissant, fruit and tea My stomach growled at the sight of the breakfast, but I couldn't even think about that right now. Pulling the edges of my robe tightly around me, I looked up at the man who had been the object of my study for so long.

Still dressed in his casual dressing gown, the man I assumed to be Tony Dimera was more vibrant and handsome in person than in all of those newspaper clippings and television interviews. Only he looked older than I had imagined. There were more lines around his eyes and mouth. His expression was that of a cynic who had seen too much, had been disappointed one too many times. Gone was the gothic romantic youth of my dreams, that tragic Heathcliff mourning his dead fiancée in the Dimera mansion. The man before me seemed jaded, hardened to the world.

As he looked upon me, Dimera's expression was that of shocked disbelief.

"My God, you look so like her..." he uttered as he sat across from me. "Even more so when you're awake."

Dimera's eyes grew so sad as he looked upon me. Undoubtedly, I reminded him of that tragic night and the woman he had lost.

"I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable," he said rather quickly, putting the tray down beside me. "It is just that..."

I gasped abruptly when I noticed the scar on his face as he drew closer.

Along the right side of Dimera's cheek was a long jagged scar that marred that infamous Mediterranean visage. I must have stared overly long at the mark for he quickly turned away from me, retreating into the shadows as he covered the scar with his hand.

"Not the sight you were expecting, I suppose?" he grimaced. "I can't say that I blame you. I can barely stand to look in the mirror anymore."

Quickly, he changed the subject.

"I brought you some food and tea. You've been unconscious for some time. You must be starved."

I took a bite of the croissant. It was high quality and very delicious. If only I were in the frame of mind to enjoy food. As it was, I could barely swallow the morsel I had chewed.

"Count Dimera..." I began.

"Call me Tony, please..." he responded suavely with a smile. He needn't have worried about his looks. He was still very handsome. The scar just made him look...dangerous.

"Is it Tony?" I asked, deciding there was no point in beating around the bush. "Or is it Andre?"

My forthrightness was rewarded with a loud boisterous laugh.

"My dear, if I were my cousin, you wouldn't even have survived long enough to converse with me. Just one look at your haunting face would remind him of the biggest blunder he had ever made."

That was true enough, I acknowledged.

Andre Dimera had been a simple boorish peasant in the eyes of the Dimera family, a poor relation. His only saving grace was his talent for mimicry. He could have had it all after taking over Tony's identity. But after he murdered Renee, he was forever at odds with Stefano. Not enough for them to break their evil affiliation. After all, Stefano's grand schemes were all important, even more important than sentiment or grief. But Andre forever had to watch his back after that, never knowing when Stefano would exact his revenge for his daughter's death.

"But when you get down to it," Tony added, "what difference does it make? If you're with Andre, you're with a serial killer. If you're with Tony, you're with an international; terrorist. So does it really matter?"

I still felt better that I was not with Renee's killer. That is, if I could believe him. Did I have any choice?

For a while, there was silence. Dimera was pacing restlessly around like a tiger in a cage. And I was struck with the surreal nature of the situation. Here I was, nibbling away at a croissant and drinking tea, feeling like Alice in Wonderland at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

"So," I began, taking a sip of my Earl Grey. "Are you going to kill me, keep me prisoner or just torture me for a while?"

Tony smiled.

"You do amuse me, Miss Daniels," he said. "You're so deliciously direct."

I shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm a reporter. It's my job to get down to the truth. Down to brass tacks, if you will."

Tony sniffed with contempt.

"Oh, please! Now you're sounding like your insufferable employer!"

I bristled at the word 'insufferable'. It was one thing for me to insult Jack, but another thing when others picked on him.

"Jack Deveraux is a good man and a fine reporter."

Tony smirked as I defended Jack.

"Ah, yes, a paragon of Salem society right up there with the late great Doctor Tom Horton! Ask anybody!"

"Now who's being insufferable?" I continued, wiping my mouth with my napkin. "And you haven't answered my question. Is it simply more fun to keep me dangling in suspense?"

"Yes, actually," Tony agreed. "But I can't bear to see a damsel in distress."

I flinched at his condescending tone.

"If you're so chivalrous, then why did you kidnap me?"

"Oh, why does everyone always think the worst about me?" he groaned.

"Um, do you want me to start with the recent crimes...or go back to the early '80s?"

"I am truly wounded to the quick, Miss Daniels!" Tony continued.

I did not believe him. He was playing a game with me. And by the gleam in his dark devil's eyes, I could tell that he was enjoying taunting me entirely too much.

"Celeste led me to believe that you were my champion, going out to Aremid to prove my innocence to the world and clear my name. I haven't had a champion in a long time. In fact, I'm not sure if I've ever had one. Now why would I want to harm the one person on the face of the planet who does not think me a complete monster?"

I tried not to take umbrage at Tony's sarcasm, but it was difficult. I did not like how he made me feel like a romantic fool, trying to turn frogs into princes. Was it possible that Renee was mistaken about her lover? Because in my opinion, he seemed to be a bit of a lost cause...and completely beyond redemption!

"So why am I here?"

"Contrary to what you think about me, Miss Daniels," Tony continued. "I have no intention of murdering you. You seem to be quite the scholar of my life. You of all people should know that I would never kill a lovely young woman. That would be such a waste. No, as a matter of fact, I am now destined to be your champion as it were. For this is the only place where you can be truly safe under the circumstances. Celeste knew that, and that is why she brought you to me."

I was stunned into silence, taking in this revelation.

"You are...protecting me? From who?"

Tony shrugged with a wave of a hand, sitting back into an easy chair across the room.

"My dear young brother, Elvis, of course. I assume you've made the young puppy's acquaintance by now."

I shivered at the memory.

"Ah, I can see that you have!" Tony smiled knowingly. "He has all of the speed, wit and cunning of my father. And all of his worst qualities as well. Elvis is the one who ransacked your apartment and who threatened your life at Aremid."

"EJ's after me because of what I found out about David Banning?" I asked, stunned.

"Not just because of David Banning, although you have definitely proved to be a pest on that score. More importantly, it is because of who you are. You have arrived on the scene right in the middle of a nasty Dimera power struggle, my dear; and that is the worst time to be a Dimera, especially a powerless one!"

"But I'm just a distant relation really," I gasped. "How could EJ see me as such a threat?"

"Perhaps I should explain a bit more clearly," Tony continued. "You are right. Your bloodline is not direct enough to matter much. It is more than that. You are descended from Renee Dimera. You look like her. Renee was Stefano's most loved child. Say what you will about Stefano's cruelty, he did love his children strongly. If he were to gaze upon you, he would see his cherished daughter once more."

"But I thought Stefano was sick or dead."

"Well, a bit of both actually," Tony chuckled. "But my dear little brother Elvis is doing his best to revitalize the old bastard. You see, EJ is the heir apparent, at least for the next five minutes. But what would happen if Stefano knew about you? The Phoenix's affections have always proved to be fickle ones. Little Elvis is threatened by your very existence, of course. If you turned out dead, that would be one less thing for him to worry about. And as I explained, Andre would kill you at first sight."

"And what about Andre?" I asked. "Where is he right now?"

"Probably on the run, I expect, seeing as how he just escaped from jail."

"Andre was the one in jail!" I exclaimed, my head spinning. "Then was he the one to brainwash Marlena Black into thinking she was a killer and...?"

"Oh, it's all a long story...and horrifically complicated," Tony sighed.

"This is all crazy! How can you expect me to believe this?"

Tony shrugged.

"Don't believe me then. I am not holding you prisoner here. Just say the word and I will have Bart escort you back to the outside world. But I warn you, you would not survive for ten minutes."

I thought of the five Ws of journalism. Who, what, where, when and...

"Why?" I asked. "Even if you are telling me the truth, why would you protect me? You're a Dimera too! And you don't even know me."

Again, Tony gazed at me with that sad longing.

"Perhaps Stefano is not the only Dimera prone to sentiment."

I realized it was because I looked like Renee. Truly, I was starting to see how my face was both a blessing and a curse.

"It is because I look like her."

"I suppose that is part of it, yes."

For the first time, I was extremely jealous of my ghost. The way Tony Dimera would get that distant look when he talked about her. That he would show such devotion to her memory decades after her passing. And, of course, when he looked at me, he did not see Leigh. He saw Renee.

"I am sorry if the sight of me makes you sad..."

"Not sad exactly," Tony confided, his eyes clouding over with distant memories. "Those times have long since past. I was a different man back then. A man who gave to charity, who tried to be respected. Always I was trying to wrest myself away from my father's image. I was very young and very foolish. I suppose Renee was one of my greatest follies."

"How so?"

"Father always said my greatest weakness was my fondness for women. In that sense, he was undoubtedly right as I seem to have wasted my life in one miserable love affair or marriage after another. It is true that I am not the best husband material. I have been known to be unfaithful, possessive and selfish. But I hurt Renee the most of all. Knowing me and loving me killed her."

I was sad to hear Tony Dimera talk like that. Somehow I knew that Renee would not have seen things that way.

A curtain seemed to have descended over Tony's expression. Again, he was the hard cynic.

"You seem to bring out a morose side in me that positively reeks of badly-written melodrama," he smiled lazily. "You are a good listener and have a quality that makes people confide in you. I am sure Deveraux appreciates your work on the paper...and takes all of the credit for it."

Again, I almost started to tell Tony to back off about Jack. But the truth of what he said was so on target that I couldn't help but laugh. Once I started to laugh, I couldn't stop. Tony began to laugh too. It was a great relief of our mutual tension.

"I guess you're right about that..." I admitted. "Jack can be a mean boss at times."

"Ah...you have a beautiful smile," Tony said. "You should laugh more often."

"Well, I don't have much to laugh about these days..." I admitted. "With people trying to kill me every other day."

"Perhaps that may change...at least for the time being," he answered. "Mi casa es su casa, as they say. Just think of this place as a nice little resort from your problems."

"I'm not sure I will be able to do that," I answered. "Where are we anyway?"

I again looked around the bizarre living room that I was in.

"This entire house has been constructed underground. Similar to the bunker Hitler would hide out in at the end of World War II. Soundproof with airtight security. But as you can see," he gestured broadly. "I am a man who likes my comfort and aesthetic pleasures. I have tried to make the place like a second home as much as possible."

"If you like to sleep in the Metropolitan Museum of Art maybe..."

Tony again roared with laugher.

"I love your sense of humor, Miss Daniels. You are a refreshing breath of fresh air! So I am assuming that you are going to stay here? I t would be the sensible thing to do."

I had serious doubts on that score. But against all reason, I believed Tony Dimera was telling me the truth about EJ.

"I suppose I have to stay here if I want to remain alive, don't I?"

"Good, that's settled."

"Well, not really. I mean, how long is this all going to go on? I can't just stay down here forever..."

"Oh, EJ's such an egotist that he is getting sloppy," Tony shrugged. "He will be arrested eventually. And then you'll be safe."

"We have no way of knowing if he's ever going to get caught though, and..."

"Miss Daniels, I am sorry but I am a bit tired. It's been a wearing day. Let me show you to your room.""

I resented being cut off. And I hated feeling so blasted helpless against everything.

Taking me by the arm, Tony led me to a grand hallway, leading to several other rooms. Wherever we were, the place seemed palatial if not dismal. More art and paintings. But I could only seem to think about that hand on my arm, so gentlemanly and courtly. And yet, I felt so unnerved and on edge at the proximity of him. Now that I was less afraid, I became aware of just how attractive I found him.

And he was my uncle, for heaven's sake!

We stopped in front of a guest bedroom where I assumed I was meant to stay.

"Here is your room. Bart can get you anything you might need. We are isolated, but I still have the means to get whatever is necessary from outside."

I looked at my watch. Lord, it was midnight. And I was only now awake from that drug. It was going to be a long night as I wasn't the least bit tired. In fact, I was wired from all of the excitement.

"Good night, Miss Daniels," Tony said with a bow as he kissed my hand in grand European fashion.

I couldn't tell if he was being serious or making fun of me. But his warm mouth against my skin made me feel all shivery. It was just a formal gesture. That was all. Why was I making it so personal? Why was I reacting to every little thing like I had never been with a man before?

I pulled my hand away from him quickly.

"Well, I suppose if I'm going to stay here for a while...you might as well call me Leigh." And then I thought a reminder might be called for. "You are my uncle, after all."

He acted as if my last comment had not even registered.

"Leigh," he responded with an easy smile. "The name suits you."

Why did Tony Dimera always have to make little remarks like that? Commenting on my name and my laugh and...it was so unsettling, this inappropriate flirting. He was probably doing it on purpose just to make me feel on edge. Protector or not, he was still a Dimera, after all. And he liked scaring people.

"Good night," I answered before I quickly turned towards the bedroom, shutting the door behind me. My heart pounded as I leaned against the back of the door. It was just nerves. That was all. This was just a nerve-wracking situation...being abducted or rescued or whatever it is that just happened...

I thought about Jack and Jennifer and Shane. All of the people in London and Salem who must know that I've disappeared and are worried about me. Well, when all of this mess is over, I'd explain everything.

...Assuming this mess would ever be over...

And again I wondered just how long I'd be trapped with Tony Dimera in this underground world.


	10. Tale of the Scar

Funny how everything in life could change in a single instant. And yet, what is it that they say? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Even dressed as I was in my beautiful black and silver gown, the heiress of a powerful empire, I was still alone, cold and shivering...

And I was still afraid, unsure of which path to take...

I heard the click of the bedroom door behind me.

At the sound of the quiet footsteps behind me, I let out a sob of relief as I felt warm arms clasp around me fiercely. And perhaps, for the first time ever, I felt like I belonged somewhere as Tony Dimera pulled me close against his chest. This was my home, here with Tony.

_Oh, Renee, my beautiful Renee..._he murmured as he held me close, nuzzling my ear, stroking my face, touching my hair.

For so long, I had known only cruelty and rejection from him. Night after night, I would bitterly watch him in another woman's arms, hating them both and hating myself for who I was becoming.

But that hell was over...

Tony was here now, mine at last. And I hungrily took in his love like the sun, gazing up into his face as he held me in his embrace. Had he ever looked at me so tenderly before? Had he ever looked so happy before? If so, I could not remember it. And I knew for certain that I had never felt so complete. There was so much to live for, so much to look forward to...

_Your smile lights up the whole room. I've given you so little to smile about. This is our moment. No one else exists in this entire world except you and I, Renee._

_I have wanted you and your love for so long..._ I confessed. _ And now..._

I lost the words. I couldn't think. Not as long as he was looking at me like that...

All I could do was submit to his slow sensual kiss, cherishing every caress as if it were for the last time...

Pulling away from me, Tony turned off the bedroom lamp, taking off his elegant cufflinks. I blushed, knowing what he was silently asking of me, even with a house full of party guests downstairs. But I was beyond shame as I reached behind my neck, unclasping the back of my gown, allowing the black and silver confection to shimmer down to the floor in a deserted heap.

Tony was right. This was our moment. There was no room for shame or regret. We had more than our share of that in the past. That part of our lives was over now.

And I wanted him so intensely I could barely breathe...as I stepped into his arms...and we sank upon the soft bed...

------------------------------------------

"Miss Daniels!"

Nooooo...I moaned, wanting to stay in the sweet dream. Go away...

Still that incessant knocking.

"Miss Daniels, the Count is asking for you to join him for breakfast!"

I was confused. The Count? But wasn't he...?

A maelstrom of emotions violently assaulted me as I opened my eyes, returning to the present.

"Are you OK, Miss Daniels?"

"Y-y-yes, B-bart..." I stammered, fighting back the onslaught of tears. "I-I just have to wash and get dressed."

"Gotcha."

When I heard the burly man stomp off, I let the tears flow freely. And then I began to sob. For the first time, I truly realized just what a tragedy Renee's murder had been. She had been so young and so in love. And it all had been stolen from her so cruelly. No wonder her spirit could not find peace.

I was still trying to get my bearings in the unfamiliar guest bedroom, making my way to the adjoining bathroom, sniffling. Perhaps I was just overtired, I said to myself as I fiddled around with the bathtub handles. That was why I was so overly emotional. I had been up for hours last night, too keyed up to sleep. And that drug had really messed up my nights and days.

For a while, I had simply paced around, taking in the environment of the bedroom.

The room seemed almost purposely decorated on the feminine side. Had Dimera had other women down here before, I wondered. There was a vanity set with a mirror, complete with a comb, hairbrush, makeup (and from Sephora, no less!) and other niceties. Walking over the armoire, I found it filled with frilly feminine clothing. I was no expert on fashion designers. Prada, Jacklyn Smith, it was all the same to me. But I sensed that this stuff was not hurriedly purchased at the local Walmart. This was high-end stuff that must be worth a fortune. And fortunately for me, most of the clothes seemed to be in the right colors to suit me.

Wandering around, I took in the bookcase, filled with large weighty tomes about large weighty subjects...philosophy and science and such. No chick lit here, I laughed to myself.

There was a television set and DVD player with several shelves of DVDs devoted to highbrow classic films. Most were of the sort that you would find shown in retro film festivals, art houses or museums, stuff directed by Kurosawa and Truffaut. But there were a few of my old favorites among the collection. I contemplated popping in the DVD of Alfred Hitchcock's REBECCA, but the thought of watching a movie about a haunted woman living in a strange house seemed a little too close to home at the moment.

No, I could not bring myself to read or watch a movie, despite my insomnia. To concentrate on such things, you needed peace of mind. And that, I certainly did not have.

So I laid down on the large bed with the sky blue satin lining and I gazed off into space, freaking out about my situation.

But apparently I must have dozed off at some point. And then came that dream...

...But the sooner I forget about that dream, the better, I said to myself, toweling myself off from my shower.

Picking through the clothes in the armoire, I felt like a kid in a candy store. My usual wardrobe consisted of office wear for the London Spectator and dowdy clothes to wear when I was doing undercover work. I rarely just dressed to look nice. I pulled out a smart purple tweed jacket, along with a lilac cotton shell and some tailored dark pants. There were several nice pairs of shoes, all spanking new. I knew less about shoe designers than clothing designers, but I wouldn't have been surprised to find a pair of Jimmy Choos in there somewhere. I picked out a pair of brown strappy sandals.

Looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror, I caught my breath. Somehow, whether it be the style or the color of the clothes, I looked more like Renee than ever before. And it made me nervous. Was it possible that Tony's story about protecting me was all bunk, that somehow Tony had brought me here...to recreate me into his old lover's image? I remembered Stefano making Hope Brady into the recreated image of his lover, Princess Gina. That would be a very Dimera-like thing to do, I pondered nervously.

Leaving the bedroom, I nearly ran right into Bart.

"Jeez! You took your sweet time about getting' ready!" Bart growled, although I could tell by the approving glint in his eye that I must have cleaned up good. "Come on! The boss doesn't like to be kept waiting!"

We walked down a long hallway towards what must have been a dining room area.

"Pretty fancy, huh?" Bart added.

If Bart was looking for praise about the Dimera underground compound, he would not get it from me. I was too well versed in my research. For Dimeras, hidden islands, underground compounds, secret passageways and such were the norm. They changed out elaborate hideaways as often as college kids switched out dorm rooms. This was actually fairly typical.

At the dining room table, Tony Dimera awaited me with a mysterious smile, surrounded by eggs, pastries, bacon, coffee, what have you. Today, he was dressed entirely in black, looking all dangerous and evil, his scar glaring at me through the dim lighting.

At the sight of him, I remembered all too well my dream and how he had been in it. The memory of his seductive stare, his unclothed body, his sweet smile...all of it burning in my brain.

"Leigh, are you sure you're feeling alright?" Tony Dimera asked, instant paternal concern on his face as he stood up from the table.

"Y-yes..." I stuttered, cursing myself as I nearly tripped in the unfamiliar shoes.

"Are you certain?" he asked, seeming a bit paternal as he pulled out a chair for me to sit. "You look a bit flushed. Are you feverish?"

"Well, I suppose it is a little warm in here," I rasped, sinking down into the straight-backed chair.

"Bart! Turn up the air conditioning, will you?" Tony bellowed loudly. "Sorry. The air circulation down here is not entirely stellar."

"That's quite alright," I nodded, sitting down, staring at the omelette before me. Yes, I should think about breakfast, not steamy sex with white roses. After all, Tony was being a perfect gentleman, completely respectable and platonic. I was the one who couldn't seem to get it together. For the umpteenth time, I cursed Renee's ghost. Sometimes, there is just a thing as too much information, Renee!

"Does the breakfast suit you?" Tony asked, after an interminable amount of awkward silence. "Feeling better?"

"Yes," I agreed hastily, glancing up from my eggs. "It's...um, delicious..."

At a glimpse of his face with those mischievous laughing eyes, I quickly looked away again, concentrating a little bit too hard on buttering my toast. Lord, was I breaking out into a sweat?

"So why don't you just come out and ask about it?"

"What?" I started, looking up at him questioningly.

"Please, Leigh...you can barely stand the sight of my face. Why don't you just ask me about the scar?"

The scar!? I nearly laughed in relief. Better him to think I was repulsed by his scar than to know what I was really thinking about!

"Well, I didn't think it would be polite to pry."

Tony laughed loudly.

"Since when have you been shy about prying into my life?" he asked, taunting me. "I assume if I don't tell you, you'll just nose about, asking everybody questions about it. At least, if you hear it from me, you'll know the truth."

"That's debatable," I smiled, putting down my toast. "OK. So what's the story with the scar?"

Taking a sip of coffee, Tony leaned back against his wicker chair in repose, looking for all the world like a contented panther basking in the sun.

"You surmised yesterday that my dear cousin Andre was responsible for Marlena Black's brainwashing?" he began. "Well, you are correct on that score. And he impersonated me on the island of Melaswen the entire time. Only he could have come up with such cheap theatricals as creating that ridiculous prop which was supposed to be Stefano's rotting corpse! And the stories he told...why they were simply outrageous! I am insulted that anyone could think that I would bet that far gone, blood disease or no!"

My fascination with the Dimera folklore kicked in, my forbidden fantasies of Tony for now repressed if not forgotten.

"The theory was that you were avenging John Black for the loss of your wife..."

"Please!" Tony harrumphed. "I truly loved Kristen, but I would hardly make all of those people suffer for her unfaithfulness. There's no love lost between me and John, that's for certain. Mind you, I'm no saint. There were a few times I even tried to kill John for what he did to me. For a while, I even tried to steal his wife from him, the saintly Marlena. But I simply could not work up the sufficient motivation to carry out my plans. I suppose perhaps I finally got over the hurt of Kristen's betrayal."

"Well," I ventured. "Maybe she just wasn't the right person for you, Tony."

Tony looked at me seriously as if seeing me for the first time.

"Perhaps she was not."

I felt all hot and bothered again.

"What about your scar?"

"Oh, yes. You must be familiar with the tiger attack at the Salem Circus event during the Salem Stalker murders?" Tony started. "But what am I saying? Of course you are! Well, my inquisitive little cat, here's a scoop for you. That was the one murder in the whole scenario that was meant to be for real."

I gasped in shock.

"You mean...that was really you!? And you were really attacked by the tiger!"

"Oh, yes...you see, Andre and I have bitterly hated each other practically since we were born. My cousin wanted my death to be as violent, as humiliating and as painful as possible."

I blanched, remembering the sensational event. There were countless news stories about it. And on some websites, you could even find some bootleg clips of the tiger attack, although most people claimed they were faked. The image of Tony Dimera, drenched with blood, bashed on the head with a bucket and then ruthlessly mauled by the wild animal had made me feel sick with agony.

"Please don't look at me like that..." Tony snapped, pushing away from the dining table and pacing about the room. "I cannot abide pity!"

I swallowed hard, trying not to cry again, digging my fingernails into my palm in an attempt to calm myself.

"How did you possibly survive such a brutal attack?"

"There had been a brief few hours during the crisis where the tiger had dragged my unconscious body away. No one discovered me for some time. I suppose it was a miracle I did not bleed to death. I'd like to think that I was simply not meant to leave this world in such an undignified fashion. Eventually, Bart found me. There was a great deal of panic in Salem during those days, you understand. Everyone was afraid that they would be the Salem Stalker's next victim. My intention had been to expose Marlena Black as the killer. Foolish hubris and pride on my part as I always loved being the center of the attention. This time had been no exception. But I was prepared for possible repercussions. Bart had been instructed that if anything were to happen to me, he was to contact my young brother, Benjy. Benjy arranged for my body to be transported to a secret triage unit where my life was saved, although I nearly died in the helicopter during our escape. As my cousin Andre is wont to do, he panicked when things did not go as expected and did what he did best, pretended to be me...all the way from the hospital until his stay in prison."

"But Benjy Dimera is so young. How did he manage to pull off your rescue?"

"Don't underestimate my little brother, Leigh. He is no match for Stefano or EJ, but he does have power, courage and brains. I taught him well over the years."

It dawned on me how many Dimera secrets had not even surfaced to the light of day yet.

"I stayed with Benjy, regaining my strength. Let me tell you, it was no mean feat, surviving right under the noses of those trying to destroy me. But we made out all right. I had been smart enough with my funds to have a little nest egg safe from Andre and EJ's destruction. I made this little home-away-from-home and have been here ever since. Only Benjy, Bart and Celeste know of my existence here. And now you."

"How did Celeste know about this?"

"Those blasted visions of hers. She knew that something was up right after my death. Neither of us knew at the time that this was another Dimera plot. She had agreed to keep my secret to spite my father if for no other reason."

"So Andre and EJ were responsible for the Salem Stalker plot?"

"Possibly my father as well..." Tony shrugged. "With him, it is hard to say what his true involvement was. My suspicion is that he was not involved. The execution of some of the final details of the plan were too sloppy and poorly thought out to be the work of Stefano. Although there is no question that EJ and Andre used his money to build that ridiculous island!"

"But why? Why would EJ want to do this to people he didn't even know?"

"Are you familiar with the Hitler Youth movement that occurred during WWII, Leigh?"

Stunned by the abrupt turn of the conversation, I answered.

"It's been a while since I've been in history class, but yes, I remember something about it. Young kids in Germany were groomed to become good little Nazi soldiers, right?"

"Correct. There is more than one way to brainwash someone, Leigh. Stefano was determined to make EJ his perfect soldier...and by all accounts, he has succeeded. Not by torture, but by a means even more insidious: parental approval. You remember all of that tripe told about my supposed 'confession' at Melaswen...where I wanted to impress my father with a diabolical plan that would stand up to any of his past achievements? Those were EJ's words coming out of the puppet Andre's mouth. So many people have assumed over the years that I have wanted to make myself over in my father's image. They are so wrong. When I thought he was not my true father and he had me locked up in chains, I never hated anyone more! EJ is the real Son of Stefano, so to speak. For he has truly been brainwashed into the perfect Dimera Pawn."

"And Andre? What does he have to gain from this?"

Tony sneered in contempt.

"Andre has the morals and ethics of your average streetwalker. He has always sold himself out to the highest bidder, usually Stefano. And he always loved being me, having all of my power and wealth at his fingertips so he could indulge in his sordid behavior with drugs, women and so on. When my father became ill, Andre thought that he would no longer be threatened. That is when he became truly stupid and sloppy with that absurd attempt to manipulate Sami Brady and Phillip Kiriakis. Truly, he is a blight on the Dimera name. My father was evil, but you had to respect his genius and finesse. Andre is just a boor. And trust me, EJ does not like Andre anymore than I do. I am certain EJ is responsible for his ultimate imprisonment."

"That is until now..."

"Yes," Tony nodded slowly. "And I am sure EJ had to do with Andre's ability to get out. He has that much power these days and is that clever. EJ was threatened by your existence and had arranged for Andre's release...in some attempt to trap you somehow."

"This is so incredible," I commented, shaking my head. "And what about you?"

"Me?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you hiding down here in secret...like you're the Phantom of the Opera or something?"

Tony roared with amusement.

"Ah...that's perfect! I even have the scars to go with the image. I wonder, do I have a mask around here somewhere? 'Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation...'"

I interrupted his Andrew Lloyd Webber tribute.

"It's not funny, Tony!" I raised my voice in the heat of the moment. "Why are you doing this to yourself? You're an innocent man! Why don't you expose EJ and Andre for their crimes and reclaim your reputation?"

"What reputation?" Tony scoffed. "All of my life, I've had to defend myself against my father's actions. If I wasn't fighting with my father, I was fighting with his enemies. I'm tired of fighting all of the time."

"But if you could get real proof against EJ, you could stop the Dimera reign once and for all!"

"Stopping EJ won't stop the Dimeras," Tony answered. "You should know that, Leigh. You chop off one head, another grows in its place. I was never cut out to be a hero. Don't expect me to be valiant like Bo Brady or Steve Johnson or my dear brother, John. I just want a peaceful life without constantly having to watch for a knife at my back."

"But isn't it lonely down here?" I asked, feeling depressed. "Isn't it boring?"

"Not anymore," he answered with a soft smile. My gut clenched. Never had any man had such an effect on me.

"Besides, I can hardly reclaim my reputation as a ladies' man in Monte Carlo with a face like this now, can I?"

"The scar's not so bad," I admitted, turning away from him.

"Such flattery makes me blush."

I didn't answer.

"So who is he?"

"Huh?"

Tony gave out an exasperated sigh, tinged with weariness.

"Most little Pollyannas like you have some young swain they're devoted to...someone like Eric Brady or Austin Reed, you know the type."

I bristled at his condescending description of me.

"I don't have time for romance, Count Dimera." I realized I was going back to using his full title, but I was so miffed I couldn't help myself. "You know, there's always a big story to cover, always ambulances to chase..."

"You're not in love with Deveraux?" he asked with mock horror.

"Of course not!" I answered, insulted. "He's a married man with two kids. Don't be disgusting!"

Tony shrugged.

"Some people don't honor their marriage vows with such devotion."

I guessed he was speaking of Kristen again.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Jack believes in wedding vows. As do I."

"Indeed," he remarked mysteriously. "Then your future husband will be a most fortunate man. I also believe in the sanctity of marriage."

The tone of this conversation was beginning to make me nervous.

"Who says I'm ever going to get married? After all, I have a career to think of and once things settle down, I'll be back at work and won't have time for such..."

My words trailed off.

Tony did not answer but merely smiled indulgently.

"And even if I were available, which I'm not! But if I were available, I would not be interested in either Eric Brady or Austin Reed. From what I've heard, they're absolute bores! Not my type at all!"

"And just who is your type?"

My mind flashed back to my dream of Tony and Renee, the way he had kissed her...or was it me? A perfect kiss...

"Maybe I simply haven't met him yet."

"Maybe, maybe not..."


	11. Memories and a Tango

After our breakfast, Tony gave me a grand tour of the bunker. He certainly had put some thought into this secret home of his. Along with the living room, the dining room and the guest bedroom, there were a few other surprises. He stayed in a grand master bedroom which had an adjoining bathroom, which he appropriately enough did not show me. There was even a sort of exercise room – at least, that is what I guessed it was – all decorated in black and red, dedicated to Tony's martial arts. He spouted off a lot of Japanese terminology and philosophy which went right over my head. Also, there was a library room, crammed full of books, DVDs, files and such with a cozy sofa to relax at. I could just picture him up in the long hours of the night, drinking a sherry and reading Machiavelli. The rest of the place consisted mainly of security posts, servants' quarters (although Bart was the only employee there that I was aware of on the premises) and more technological mumbo jumbo that I did not even pretend to understand.

"I hope you will find your stay here comfortable..." Tony said.

"Well, to be honest with you, Tony..." I began. "The fact of the matter is I don't know how well this is going to work out. You see, I'm used to working hard and living life in the fast lane, you know. I'm really not the type to lounge around a manor and eat bon-bons."

Tony laughed at my remark.

"No, I should say that you are not! But as I said before, I expect this will only be a temporary situation. EJ will slip up sooner or later."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"According to you, EJ has been secretly behind some of the largest Dimera schemes for years. What makes you think that he's going to get caught any time soon?"

"With the finest of the Salem PD on his trail, it's only a matter of time..."

I wasn't amused at what I assumed was a joke.

"Seriously, I think I might go insane down here."

"Well, perhaps I can come up with some sort of amusement for you. Actually I already have a little surprise for you which I hope you will like."

"Really?"

I was immediately suspicious. A surprise from Tony Dimera probably was bad news.

"Yes, come with me."

Tony escorted me to the library. His hand was on my elbow in that polite way of his. And the heat of his touch was burning straight through the fabric of my purple tweed jacket. I sighed with aggravation, wishing I wasn't so conscious of him all of the time. What was wrong with me, for heaven's sake?

"Everything alright?" Tony asked, concerned at my fidgeting.

"Yes," I said quickly, trying to think of an excuse for my rudeness. "I'm sorry. I didn't sleep so well last night."

"Oh, is the bed uncomfortable? Perhaps we could..."

"No. Nothing like that, just...mild insomnia. Crazy dreams."

I wish I hadn't have said that, because then I remembered the way he had looked in my dream last night…taking off his cufflinks in the dark…

"Oh. Well, perhaps once you are more used to being here, your tension will subside. Along with your misgivings."

"Maybe."

I knew the sort of tension that I was suffering from was only growing with every minute of time I spent with Tony. Both nervous tension...and a more insidious sort of tension…

That was another reason why I doubted that my stay here was a good idea.

I did not like the perverse direction that my mind had been going in the last 24 hours. Renee and her darned haunting was responsible for it all, but still I felt horrible about myself for having such incestuous thoughts and fantasies about my own uncle. Granted, he was not helping the situation with his teasing remarks. But I suspected that flirting just came naturally to him and that there was nothing truly serious behind his words. Surely not. He knew we were related, after all.

Poring through a collection of albums on a nearby bookshelf in the library, Tony pulled out a small leather photo album.

"I thought you might be interested in this."

As I turned the pages, I saw that these were all faded photographs of Renee Dimera. There was little documented about her childhood, but in the later pages, there were all sorts of photographs and articles about her. A whole section covered her wedding to David Banning. There were various photographs of her at charity parties and social functions. Always she looked very beautiful.

"Oh, my gosh..." I sighed, sitting down on the couch with the album. With all of the research I had done, some of this stuff I had never come across before. This was pure gold. "You kept all of this?"

Tony nodded, sitting beside me.

"My way of remembering her, I suppose. I stole it from my father's home. Ssshhh!" he warned teasingly. "Don't tell him. He'd be very cross with me."

"This is incredible..."

"I didn't trust her memories to be safe in the hands of my father. With his crazy schemes, his homes have a way of getting blown up or burned down. Since you are her only remaining relative and have such an interest in her life, I suppose you are entitled to have this album. Consider it a gift from me."

"Oh, no, I couldn't..." I protested. "I didn't even know her really. She'd want you to have them."

"I'm not sure about that," Tony answered. "I suspect Renee would be bitterly disappointed at how I've turned out."

For a while, he was silent and seemingly depressed. I looked dumbly at the album, worrying about the state of things. Well, this was an awkward situation...

"Well, I suppose…" I said in an attempt to break through the ice. "She probably would not have wanted you to take the rap for another man's crimes, to sit back and waste your life away for the rest of your days and just give up..."

Tony smirked with amusement.

"Is that what Renee would have wanted?" he asked. "Or is that what you want?"

"It's what I want, I guess," I admitted. "Do you think I'm like her? Besides just the physical resemblance?"

He shrugged with a faint smile.

"I really don't know you well enough yet to say."

"Of course not."

I felt foolish for even asking the question.

"From what I perceive, you seem much more grounded."

I flinched.

"Is that a polite way of saying that I'm boring?"

"Not at all! Please, someone like you? Getting blown up in cars, a secret Dimera, on the run for your life...are you kidding me? You are anything but boring!"

Tony paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"You just seem more stable, perhaps because you were fortunate enough to grow up in a real home with loving parents." Again, there was the sad misty look in his eyes. "Renee was always a bit of a lost soul. But she was passionate, volatile, beautiful, exciting..."

I suddenly felt like an ugly cockroach in comparison to my glamorous ghost.

"You must have loved her very much…" I said softly, feeling horridly jealous of a dead woman.

"Yes," he admitted. "But I don't know that we would have ever really been happy together once the first rush of passion had passed. As you may have heard, I can be a very temperamental man."

"You?" I asked, half-joking.

"And Renee could also be impulsive and reckless, obsessive and cruel, self-destructive. She represented both the best and the worst of all the Dimera qualities. If we had really had a chance to be together..." He sighed with a fatalistic shrug. "Well, who knows if we would have lasted or not?"

"But you turned out to really be Stefano's son. So it never would have worked out, right?"

As an afterthought, Tony said, "Oh, yes, of course...you are right about that, aren't you?"

A warning bell went off in my head. There was some clue and I was missing it.

"You are welcome to look at any of these old family photos if you care to."

He pulled out a few more albums.

"Photos of Stefano, Daphne, Peter, Kristen, Megan, Benjy...the whole cursed lot of us," he said with a sardonic grin. "Quite a family you've inherited. You have my apologies."

"I find it all very fascinating..." I admitted, clutching at the albums gleefully.

"I believe that you truly do," he chuckled. "Listen, my fencing master will be arriving soon. A way for me to stay fit with my hermit lifestyle. Please, my dear, you can entertain yourself in the meantime, can't you?"

"Sure," I answered.

Turning from one picture to the next, I tried to take in this bizarre family history. There were many pictures with European backgrounds, perhaps having been taken in Italy...mysterious pictures that told unknown stories. It was hard to imagine Stefano Dimera ever being a toddler, but there he was. He had actually been pretty adorable with big brown innocent eyes and curly black hair. I wondered what had happened to change him from that cute little boy into the legendary Phoenix…

What a story this would make! Prying into the deep dark crypt of the Dimera secrets...

Once I was out of here, I would write an expose all about living in the secret hideout of the infamous Tony Dimera. And I would write all about Aremid and David Banning and the cover-up with the Salem Stalker murders. Man, Jack Deveraux would be so envious of me right now!

And then I thought about Jack and my job at the London Spectator and how I had meticulously planned for years to have this moment…where I could truly learn about my past and where I really came from. Here I was with all of the forbidden Dimera lore at my fingertips in this underground compound.

I should have felt victorious, ecstatic for having reached such goals...but mostly I only felt deeply afraid...

Such a realization took me to a dark place in my mind.

I thought of my adoptive parents and how normal they were compared to the Dimeras. Our family albums had been much different. There were no nannies or boarding schools or palaces in Italy, no bodyguards or power struggles. I was just a simple kid...playing games with my friends on the playground, watching old black and white movies with my mom on the TV, going to McDonalds for Happy Meals...that was me. The real me. And now here I was, isolated from the world and on the run for my live, minus any friends or family save a notorious uncle who could be called eccentric at best.

For the first time in years, I felt horribly homesick for the simple life and family I once had in Georgia. And that sweet stupid kid I used to be was gone now. She sort of died with her parents in that car crash too…

No, I'm not going to cry, I told myself. I'm not going to cry!

But tears of grief spilled over as I thought about my parents and how much I missed them. I covered my mouth to keep from screaming. Taking a deep breath, I tried to control myself. How crazy this was, getting so upset about them after all of this time...

Burying my head in my hands, I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

"Leigh?"

Oh, great!

"My dear...what is it?"

I heard Tony Dimera rush to my side, sitting beside me on the sofa. I must have been sitting like this in shocked grief for some time, I realized. Tony smelled like he was fresh out of the shower after his exercise.

"Are you ill?" he asked.

Looking up at Tony, he seemed truly upset to see me in such a state. And I probably was a messed-up wreck too! I was never one to cry with dignity. I was probably all snivelly and red-faced.

"Take my handkerchief, please..."

I touched the white silky fabric to my hot cheeks. God, the handkerchief alone probably was worth one of my checks from the London Spectator! Such luxury and wealth truly intimidated me, only emphasizing how out of place I was. Celeste had been right. I had simply been trying to find some hobby to distract myself from loneliness and grief. So I became obsessed with Dimera history. And I couldn't have picked some safer hobby like shark hunting?!

"If there's anything I can do..."

I was horrifically embarrassed to be discovered in such a state.

"Tony, please..." I begged. "Don't make a fuss over me. I hate whiny little crybabies...and here I am being one!"

"Well, you've been under an enormous amount of stress..."

He patted my shoulder reassuringly...like I was just a little kid.

"I guess all of these albums got me to remembering my family. My adoptive family. They died...in a car accident...a few years ago."

"Yes, Celeste told me."

"I just had some intense memories of what it was like growing up with them. That's all. I thought I was over all of that." I handed him back his handkerchief. "Thanks."

"You really have suffered terribly, haven't you?"

"Well," I shrugged. "I guess everyone has a story."

"Yes. I also know what it is like...to lose a parent. And you never really get over the loss. You just learn to live with it."

"Are you talking about your mother?" I asked.

"Yes, Daphne Dimera," he answered. "She died too young. Another victim of one of Stefano's...little adventures."

He shook his head bitterly.

"Just one more reason for me to hate Stefano forever! She truly loved me...in her way. I didn't always approve of her methods, but...she protected me from Stefano the best way that she could. So many people think of me as the son of Stefano Dimera, but I'd like to think that I have at least some of my mother's qualities. If she had lived, how differently everything might have turned out for everyone involved."

I nodded in sympathy.

"If my parents had lived, I'd probably be teaching journalism classes out in Georgia instead of being on the run from international criminals."

"Then we'd never have met."

Tony touched my hand gently. I looked up to see him smile at me with what I suspected was tenderness.

"And I can't regret that. I do like your company, Leigh."

"Wait 'til you get to know me better and then we'll see..." I smiled. "You've already discovered that I can be a real downer at times..."

"I don't mind," he admitted. "No one has cried on my shoulder in a long time. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like."

------------------------------------

"Do you like to dance?"

"What?"

Over dinner, I was trying desperately to seem sophisticated and failing miserably. I had already blatantly displayed my ignorance of wine. When Tony asked what wine I would prefer, I said Merlot. I judged by his dubious expression that I had failed the first pop quiz of the elite. Now I was trying to precariously spread black caviar over a tiny thin cracker without making a complete idiot out of myself. I had not even figured out yet how I was going to actually swallow the icky stuff.

"Do you know how to dance?"

"You mean like ballet?"

He laughed.

"I mean the tango, the rumba, the waltz...you know..."

"Oh, ballroom dancing!" I enthused.

"Yes!"

"No, I absolutely have no idea how to do any of that stuff. But I love DANCING WITH THE STARS."

"Hmmm...any interest in learning?"

I smiled.

"You want to teach me how to tango?" I asked dubiously.

"Yes. It would be fun! I haven't danced with a woman in ages."

Great. Now after seeing what a basketcase I was and what a messy eater I was, he could now see what a klutz I was as well!

"It would all be completely innocent, I assure you…"

Shocked that he would even suggest otherwise, I probably overreacted a bit.

"Of course it is, Tony! I know that! It's just…well, in the middle of dinner?"

"Don't be silly! It's just us. We don't have to stand on ceremony here."

Spoken by a man who wanted me to dress up formally for dinner, I thought.

But I had to admit that I looked elegant in the midnight blue dress laced with jewels that I had found in the closet. I even managed to make my hair look somewhat presentable, piling it up in a makeshift chignon. Even if my resemblance to Renee was becoming almost uncanny, I did not mind. How could I when I looked like I was starring in some romantic old film?

"OK," I agreed. It would be a shame for such a nice dress to go to waste.

Tony was a patient instructor, walking me through the paces of a tango, showing me the proper hold and posture. It was not as easy as it looked.

"You're a natural!" Tony enthused. "And you learn so quickly."

"Thanks," I said, grimacing as I almost stepped on one of his expensive leather shoes.

At one point, I almost tripped but Tony caught me, saving me from a completely graceless plummet to the floor. With his hands on my arms, holding me closely against him, this was the most physical contact I had with him since I arrived. He was deceptively strong and so masculine. I couldn't help but admire his handsomeness, even with the tiger scar on his face. And he wore a deep rich cologne that could have been an aphrodisiac of some kind because it smelled so enticing. I felt as if I were falling under a magic spell.

"Sorry, I guess I have two left feet..." I whispered.

"You're enchanting," he answered, his voice husky and seductive.

Stunned by his comment, I noted that there was no trace of that cynical jaded expression right now. He seemed to be more like the younger Tony in my dreams. And the wicked gleam in his eyes...he looked as if he were going to eat me alive. And I felt him pull me closer...as if he were about to kiss me…

No, he wouldn't! He couldn't!

My mind was whirling with a million reasons why this was a bad thing to do, the primary one being that we were related to each other!

"Um, Boss..."

The soft romantic expression on Tony's face faded quickly.

"WHAT, BART!" he snapped, causing me to jump out of my skin. "You know I instructed for us not to be interrupted during dinner!"

"Sorry, Boss...but it's important..."

"Oh, very well..." Tony sighed. "Excuse me, my dear...I hate to interrupt our lovely dance. WHAT IS IT, BART?!"

Bart and Tony went off down the hallway, talking conspiratorially. I wondered what sort of business Tony would be up to, when no one even knew his true identity and existence down here.

I sat down, trying to pull my frazzled nerves together. What had just happened? What did we almost let happen? I was sick with the knowledge that if he had kissed me, I wouldn't have stopped him. I wanted him to kiss me. And that was so wrong...

"What's going on here?"

I looked up to see Bart staring at me angrily, hands on his hips, looking like he was on the verge of beating me up.

"What?"

"I thought you were the Boss' niece!"

"I am!" I gasped.

"So what was all that I just saw?"

"Who are you?" I responded, defensively. "His guardian angel or something?"

"Look, I don't trust you, lady!" Bart started, wagging a finger at me with a warning. "I don't think you are who you say you are!"

"Well, I don't care what you think! Bring Tony back in here! How dare you speak to me this way!"

"You think I didn't plan that whole thing?" Bart said. "I wanted the Boss out of the way so we could talk! I just want you to know that I've been with the Boss through thick and thin...mostly thin these days! And I know how crazy he can get over a dame, and..."

"Just what are you implying?"

"I know what I saw! And I know how the Boss gets! And if you really are his niece, it's disgusting! I've got to tell you that! The Boss don't need that kind of trouble!"

I didn't know whether to get angry or laugh at Bart's audacity.

"Well, Bart, I don't know what you think you saw, but we were merely dancing the tango. That's all."

"Yeah, right," he sneered.

Tony entered the room.

"Bart, I should fire you for your incompetence!" he barked. "Lord, what a waste of my time!"

He then paused, obviously sensing the tension in the room between me and Bart.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, instantly wary.

"No, Tony," I answered coolly. "I think I'm a bit tired."

"But..."

"You don't need to see me to my room," I said quickly, hurrying to make my exit.

------------------------------------------

As I was getting ready to attempt to get some more sleep, there was a knock on the door.

In a panic, I looked in the mirror. I was barely even dressed! Slipping on a robe, I peered outside the bedroom door, hoping that Tony wouldn't faint on sight at the real me sans evening gown and makeup.

It was Bart.

"Nothing going on, huh?" he commented, thrusting a bouquet of flowers under my nose. "So what do you call these?"

"These are from Tony?"

"Of course. Who else? And let me tell you, I don't really care to have to play Cupid for you guys either..."

I ignored Bart as I studied the card.

_Thank you for the dance. Tony._

And the flowers were white roses...Renee's favorite flowers…


	12. A Bad Scene

After the torrid tango with my Uncle Tony, I spent the rest of the night more or less freaking out.

As much as the thought sickened me, I could no longer avoid the truth. I was convinced that Tony was following in the footsteps of his father and trying to turn me into his long-lost Renee come back to life!

The clues were all there. All of the expensive clothes in the armoire, silken fabrics of purples and blues...that made me look exactly like her. The way Tony seemed to have me taken me under his wing so readily when I was a stranger to him. The incredible stories he told me about Andre and EJ that were simply too wild to be believed. And then there were the white roses...

Perhaps those flowers had disturbed me most of all…

Sleep was impossible as the memory of our post-dance clinch kept replaying over and over in my mind.

I was not only afraid of Tony Dimera but of myself. Never had I felt so out of control of my emotions before. Never had I been so attracted to anyone before. It was as if Tony were the only man in the world who had ever existed for me…and ever would.

Perhaps Renee's haunting had truly sent me over the edge. After all, wasn't she the one responsible for my irrationality, force feeding erotic dreams in my psyche at night, causing me to lose hours of sleep, making me want her lover against my will?

OK, so I was crazy. But what was Tony's excuse?

He knew I was his niece. Yet he had intended to kiss me last night, completely oblivious to the incest involved!

I could not trust him. I could not trust myself.

Bart was right. This was all wrong and disgusting. And I could not stay here. It was simply a bad scene.

I made up my mind what I would have to do. And I knew it would not be pretty...

-----------------------------------------------------

Steeling my shoulders, I resolutely walked down the hallway toward the dining room in the morning. I was wearing the most utilitarian clothes in the armoire that I could muster up. A plain lilac silk shirt, a pair of tan pleated pants and the flattest sandals I could find. Still, if I found myself in a situation where I would need to make a run for it, it was not going to be easy with the apparel I had to work with.

Tony was dressed all in white, looking ravishingly handsome as he sipped at a cup of tea. But he must have sensed that something was wrong.

"Good morning, Tony," I said grimly, unable to even work up a fake smile.

"Good morning," he answered cautiously. "I apologize about Bart's intrusion last night. Rest assured, I chastised him soundly for his rudeness. He shall not bother us again."

"I'm not angry at Bart."

"But something is wrong?"

I took a deep breath, deciding it was best just to plunge ahead.

"Tony, I appreciate your hospitality in letting me stay here and your gallantry in trying to save me from EJ and Andre and Stefano and whoever else is out to get me. Please do not think that I am ungrateful for all that you have done for me. But I don't think this arrangement is going to work out."

"Indeed?"

Tony seemed pretty cool under the circumstances. At least, he hadn't thrown a dagger at my throat yet.

I swallowed hard, determined to continue.

"The fact of the matter is I am not cut out for a life shut away from the world like this. I'm a reporter. I don't like just sitting around and..."

"If it's exercise you want, you're free to use my gymnasium at any time..."

I sighed with exasperation.

"That's not the point, Tony!"

He wasn't going to make this easy for me. I could see that.

"I-I-I've…" Oh, no, I wasn't going to start stuttering again! "I've just decided that I don't want to stay here." There, I'd said it.

A tense quietness loomed between us. Well, not entirely quiet. I could hear my heart pounding a mile a minute!

"So let me see if I understand you correctly," Tony started, putting down his cup of tea. "You would rather end up dead than stay down here for one more moment in my company? Is that it?"

He gave me a glare that was positively nasty!

"Look, you don't have to make this unpleasant," I said. "It's not personal."

"I thought we were getting on very well together, Leigh," Tony said, ignoring my excuses. "Is there something you need? Something you want? Just ask for it. It's yours!"

His voice was edged with a sort of desperation that I was not accustomed to hearing from him in the short time that I had made his acquaintance.

And it scared me.

"This isn't any sort of bargaining ploy, Tony," I said. "I'm not that sort of person. I just want my freedom."

"I see..."

"You said that I was free to leave here if I chose to do so. Well, I am making that choice. I promise I won't divulge any of the secrets that you've told me. And if something happens to me, I absolve you of any guilt or responsibility. So please have Bart show me the way out..."

Tony calmly lifted up a piece of toast, taking a bite out of it.

"I lied," he said simply.

There was a long silence between us.

"You lied?"

"Yes, Leigh! Yes!" Tony answered, throwing down his toast viciously. "I'm a big bad Dimera and I lied! It won't be the first time and sure as hell won't be the last! That can't possibly surprise you!"

I felt a panic attack coming on. Foolishly enough, I was surprised.

"So you're keeping me here against my will?" I asked incredulously. "I'm your prisoner?!"

"I'm saving you from getting yourself killed, whether you want my help or not!"

"Oh, right!" I stormed about, ready to smash the million-dollar porcelain tea set against one of the walls of the dining room. "Whatever! If you lied to me about allowing me to leave here, what else have you lied about? I don't think that EJ or Andre is after me at all! I think you made all of that stuff up! Everything! Being attacked by a tiger! Ha! You probably got those scars in one of your numerous jail breaks! I think you trapped me into coming here and you forced Celeste to bring me to you!"

"You may think whatever you like..." Tony said. As he shrugged, his face was blank and his manner as cold as ice.

I paced about anxiously, feeling like I was going to explode in fury.

"You think I don't know what you're really trying to do?"

"I am sure you will enlighten me...since you seem to know everything."

"You're trying to bring Renee back from the dead!"

"Oh, dear God!" he raged.

I was satisfied to see his anger. At least now, I wasn't the only upset one in the room!

"You think I can't tell? Dressing me in these clothes that make me look like her? Giving me a bouquet of white roses...her favorite flowers? The way you've been inappropriately coming on to me?"

"You shouldn't be a reporter," he spouted. "You should write trashy suspense novels with that wild imagination of yours!"

"Oh, I don't think it's so far-fetched!" I responded, forging on. "Like father, like son, isn't it? Everyone was right about you! Just like Stefano tried to turn Hope Brady into Princess Gina, you're trying to turn me into Renee!"

Tony stood up from the table, glaring at me with fiery eyes.

"You are completely hysterical and out of your mind," he said calmly as he started to walk towards the hallway. "I cannot bear to hear any more of this nonsense. Why don't you take a few moments to compose yourself..."

Oh, I hated him!

I hated Tony Dimera with his snobby airs and his patronizing attitude and his manipulative nature and...!

"DON'T YOU DARE WALK OUT ON ME!" I cried out, rushing at him, almost ready to strike him. "DON"T YOU DARE!"

Violently, he grabbed me by the shoulders, shaking me.

"MY GOD, DO YOU THINK I WANT YOU HERE?!" he roared at me. "I was doing just fine here until you showed up, digging into matters that were none of your affair!"

"Then let me go...please..." I begged.

Tony answered by pulling me roughly against him, kissing me harshly on the mouth.

I should have fought against him. His kiss was meant to intimidate, to humiliate and punish me. Any woman in her right mind would have fought against him...

But God help me in my madness, I kissed him back.

Even though the pressure of his mouth hurt with his teeth digging against my lips, I ravaged his mouth back with a wild hunger all my own. The smell and the feel and the taste of him...everything about him was pure addiction. I was unable to hold back my sensual moan as I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the hard muscles of his back through his white silk shirt.

Tony tensed up in surprise, pulling away from me as if I had scorched him.

"Why don't you slap me?" he rasped, his eyes glazed over in shock. "I was a brute! A cad! You should slap me..."

"I don't want to slap you…" I whispered in answer.

Taking Tony's face in my hands, I kissed him over and over again, tracing his scar with my fingertips tenderly. He sighed raggedly as he embraced me. Running my fingers through his black hair, I buried my face in his neck, inhaling deeply of his intoxicating scent...

Maybe I was destined to be this way. I was a Dimera...and insanity was in my blood. It felt so good to stop fighting against what was meant to be.

Tony stroked my hair, holding me close.

"What is happening to us?" Tony asked softly. "I don't understand this..."

Reluctantly, I turned away from him, horrified by what I had just done.

"Tony, we have to stop this!" I cried out in a panic. "It's wrong! You're my uncle!"

"Your uncle?" he asked, almost absentmindedly. "Oh, yes...of course I am..."

Tony Dimera then began to laugh in a demented fashion, practically having a meltdown before my eyes. The walls echoed with his horrible laughter.

"I'm your uncle...and you're my niece. Oh, how could I have forgotten?"

He continued to laugh.

And I wanted to kill him!

"My God!" I gasped. "They were right about you! Everyone was right! You are crazy!"

"Oh, what a brilliant deduction! Give the girl a Pulitzer Prize!"

"You're sick, Tony!" I yelled. "That blood disease has messed up your mind! I'm not Renee!"

Tony's laughter stopped abruptly.

"I am not the only one at fault here, Leigh, and you know it! Don't pretend like you didn't enjoy that kiss! And don't pretend that you didn't kiss me back!"

Then he added a vicious retort.

"And believe me, I am very aware that you are not Renee!"

Hurt and humiliated, I ran back to the guest bedroom, sobbing.

----------------------------------------

In the crazy weird windowless bunker, I had no idea how long I stayed in my guest bedroom. It must have been several days. Endless days of pacing and crying...

I cried for myself, for being so headstrong and stupid, for not listening to Jack and Jennifer...and getting myself mixed up in all of this craziness of the Dimera Curse...and I was truly a believer in that curse now...

I cried for Renee, being ruthlessly murdered, her soul restless and suffering...

And I cried for Tony and the man that he had once been. It seemed like he had truly lost his mind and had become just like his father. Whether he was innocent of some of the more heinous Dimera crimes or not, there was no avoiding the fact that Tony was insane...

We were both insane.

"Hey, Daniels!!!" There were several bangs on the door. "Lunch time!"

Try as I might, I knew that my self-imposed hunger strike was of no use. I simply could not bear my stomach growling any more.

I sulked as I opened the door. Bart stood before me with a turkey sandwich. The sight of it made my mouth water in agony.

"It's about time!" the goon said. "I thought I was gonna have to stick an IV in you or something!"

I grabbed the sandwich and took a large chomp out of it.

"Look, lady..." Bart started. "Things can't go on this way. The Boss is going completely bonkers and taking it out on me!"

I shrugged indifferently, chewing at the delicious sandwich.

"So? I thought you wanted me away from him. That's what you said."

Bart shook his head.

"This is all whacked out. I just don't get it. Couldn't you just talk to him maybe? Calm him down a bit or something?"

"We don't seem to be a very calming influence on each other," I noted. "Besides, there's no lock on the door. If Tony wants to see me, there's nothing stopping him."

Bart sat down at the chair by my dressing table, oblivious of formality or manners.

"No, he's a proud guy. I don't think he's gonna make the first move."

"Well, it seems we're at a bit of an impasse, doesn't it?"

"An im-what?"

"Never mind. Where is he now?"

"Having one of his fencing sessions of his..."

"Really?"

There was a desperate plan cooking in my brain. I looked at my watch. Eleven o'clock.

"He has these sessions every day, doesn't he?"

"Yup. Never takes a day off. Never."

So at eleven o'clock tomorrow, I could make my move.

"Are you up to something?" Bart asked suspiciously.

"No," I answered with innocent eyes. "Not a thing."

------------------------------------------

Eleven o'clock the next day, I finally left the guest bedroom. Dressed in a simple blue blouse and tan skirt, I quietly ventured over to the living room. I knew that Tony had a laptop computer in that room. Back on that first day when we were actually on speaking terms, I had seen him using it although he was very mysterious about what he was doing at the time.

I tentatively pressed a button on the keyboard. There was no password or security lock on it. Very careless of him.

And then I hesitated.

Maybe this was all too careless. Was I only setting a trap for myself?

I had to take that chance, I decided. It was just too upsetting and maddening to stay here like this.

Going to the London Spectator website, I used a secret username and password, getting into their system.

I sent a private e-mail to to the editor:

_Such fun basking under the Celestial skies..._

_P.S. There's no crying in baseball..._

I hoped Jack read his own e-mail. If either Vern or Harold received this, they would surely think it was from some crackpot and delete it. Jack or Jennifer might figure out that it was from me...and that I was trying to say that Celeste was the clue to finding me. The baseball thing was just a definite hint to Jack that it was from me. It was a stretch of an escape plan, but I had to do something.

Quickly, I sent the e-mail and exited the website, trying to leave the laptop just as I had found it.

Heart pounding, I stood up and headed for the hallway...only to run smack into Tony Dimera!


	13. Lost Years

Tony was covered in perspiration, wearing some sort of fencing outfit. He looked like he had just beheaded some poor Samurai warrior in his exercise room. At any rate, he looked pretty angry and bloodthirsty. I am sure that I was the one responsible for all of his angst.

"Miss Daniels..." he said with cold formality.

"Count Dimera..." I sniped back.

"You actually honor the household with your presence? I thought you intended to remain hidden away in the guest bedroom for the rest of all eternity."

"Well..." I started, straining my brain for a plausible excuse. "I was bored with all of the heavy-duty reading material in there. Machiavelli is such a bore." Quickly, I snatched up a book from the bookcase I was standing in front of. "So I decided to read this..." I said, flourishing the book in front of me.

Tony raised an eyebrow, perusing the book title.

"Ah, yes. _Studies of Botany_. Exciting literature indeed..."

Trying not to react with dismay, I simply shrugged.

"Yes, I love flowers. Especially white roses..."

I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed me by the arm.

"You're up to something."

I was feeling threatened, not only by Tony's menacing presence but by my physical reaction to his grip on my arm. Even when he was brutish and violent, I wanted him. This attraction I felt to him was not only nuts but dangerous.

"Please..." I asked, wrenching away from him. "Please don't touch me."

"My apologies." He bowed in a mocking manner, ruthlessly hard and cynical. "I know how my touch offends you..."

I flinched, remembering our taboo kiss in the dining room.

"I…I don't want to talk about that…"

Tony must have sensed how truly upset I was. And his anger seemed to fade.

"Leigh..." he said softly. "Please. Let's find some way to work through this..."

I couldn't look at him. When he was nice and understanding, I felt even more vulnerable.

"I really don't see how we can...unless you let me go free."

"Leigh, please don't ask that of me! You don't seem to realize how much danger you are really in."

"Oh, please!" I exclaimed. "As far as I know, you're the only real threat around here!"

Tony opened his mouth to reply, but seemed not to have the words. Apparently, even he could not defend his own reprehensible actions.

I escaped back to my bedroom. But it was no use.

There was no getting the tiger back into his cage. He just took the time to shower and change into his customary outfit of black.

Lying down upon the bed in a state of despair, I heard the door behind me softly open. I was Tony Dimera's prisoner. I supposed he could do whatever he wanted to me. And I didn't even see a weapon to defend myself with. Not unless I was going to try to beat him to death with a hairbrush!

"Leigh...we must talk about this."

"Please stay away from me, Tony..." I begged. "We're bad for each other and..."

And I was very uncomfortable about the two of us being alone in a bedroom…

"How are we bad for each other?"

"I don't think I need to spell it out for you, Uncle Tony!"

"That's what I want to talk to you about. We needn't worry about that."

I was astounded at what I was hearing.

"You don't think incest is wrong?" I asked.

"No...it's just that..."

"Is this supposed to be our 'dirty little secret'?"

"NO! Will you...!"

"Well, what in the world do you mean?"

"I'M NOT A DIMERA!"

My hysterics were replaced by shock.

"There, I've said it," he admitted with a sigh. "And it feels good to say it. To tell the truth for once! I'm not a Dimera. And I am begging you, Leigh, not to breathe a word of this to anyone. It's a matter of life and death! But I couldn't stand being the monster that you were making me out to be. There's a lot I have been able to bear over the years...but even I have my limitations. So I'm telling you the truth."

I shook my head. This was just one more incredible story piled upon a truckload of other incredible stories!

"Why on earth should I believe anything you say?"

"Do you really think me so horrible that I would lie about something like this?" he asked, obviously hurt by my accusation. "Do you really think I'm so depraved?"

"Well, you've definitely told a big lie somewhere along the way!" I claimed in self-defense. "What about when you came to Salem with Kristen Blake, declaring Stefano was your real father? Why would you do such a thing if it wasn't true?"

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" Tony yelled. "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I HAD TO DO IT TO SAVE ANNA!"

"Anna..." I blinked, the name struggling from my lips.

"Yes."

Tony sat down upon the bed, exhausted by the drama of his confession.

"I am sure you know about my notorious disappearance after my marriage to Anna."

"Yes."

"The 'official' story is that I deserted her, that I decided I was not cut out for marriage and wanted to have my freedom in Europe. The truth is that Stefano came back for me. He forced me to leave Salem as well as my wife."

"Stefano did that?"

"Yes." Tony shook his head helplessly as he recalled those days. "Anna meant absolutely nothing to him. He would have killed her without a second thought. But I was a newlywed. And Anna was my bride. I couldn't bear the thought of her becoming…like Renee…"

For a moment, I was looking upon a man absolutely crazed with regret and grief.

"I never should have married Anna. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson…that I was bad for any woman. But I really thought that Stefano Dimera was dead, Leigh! I saw him die! I saw Marlena Brady shoot him at the Salem Ice Show with my own eyes! I saw him fall from the catwalk into a pit of flames! Even if by some miracle, he had survived the shooting and the fall and the fire, he was also ill with brain tumors. How could he have possibly survived all of that? To this day, no one has an explanation for how he managed to live. But he did live. And he was not through with me."

"But I thought he disowned you when he believed you were not his son? Why would he want you back?"

"Stefano's master plans were all important to him, more important than anything else. I suppose you could say that I was more or less serving as a means to an end."

Tony paused for a moment, rubbing his forehead as he forced himself to speak of an obviously dark place from his past.

"You see, Stefano's brainwashing techniques had reached a whole new level by that time. He had connected up with Dr. Rolf and had begun conducting illegal experiments on human guinea pigs. He had learned through his pawn John Black that he could implant memories from one human into another. And he still had diabolical plans that involved Andre...Aremid and Melaswen and so forth. But obviously Andre was too stupid and sloppy to keep up the amateur charades without some help. So my memories were implanted into him."

"Good Lord!" I cried out. "You mean Stefano tortured you?"

Tony shook his head.

"I don't know," he answered, laughing bitterly. "I can't remember. When I try to think on those times, I get in a sort of paralyzed trance. I suppose perhaps it's a way of my mind protecting itself."

"So you can't remember your missing years?"

"Very little. At first, Stefano kept me in a dungeon just as he had before. But then Kristen came along. We had to then pose as the loving family for appearance's sake if for no other reason. Stefano took it into his head that he wanted Kristen to marry me and did everything he could to make that happen. Don't ask me why he felt this way. Perhaps it was the way he was brought up where the custom was arranged marriages and so on. And fool that I was, I fell in love with the girl. She was my only light in a world of darkness. Perhaps that is why I became obsessed with her beyond all reason later on. I lived the lie, played the Dimera son and returned to Salem. After Aremid and David Banning's murder, the 'official' story is that I was in a coma. The truth? More lost years. I suppose Stefano was plucking out more memories from my mind, prepping my dear cousin for the Melaswen plot."

Tony was so sincere and in such obvious pain as he recalled the details that I could not help but believe him. And the puzzle pieces that had frustrated me during my research all fit together now.

"So you see this place..." he gestured at the underground home. "And you think I am giving up, shutting myself away. But this is really my refuge, you see. As long as the Phoenix keeps rising from those infernal ashes, I shall never know anything close to a normal life. That tiger scarred me…but in a way, he saved my life. This bunker is my freedom...just to be Tony...without all of the torture and the manipulation and the lies and the expectations and the judgments."

"And you lived that lie for all of those years to save Anna?"

"Yes."

"You are a hero, Tony."

"Some hero..." he scoffed. "Constantly being victimized by one man over and over again...It's truly pathetic."

"Anna should know what you did for her. Somehow."

"Absolutely not," Tony insisted. "She is still in danger. How do you think you were discovered so easily? The moment you met Anna, your presence was detected by EJ Welles. Anna has been spied upon ever since my disappearance. If Stefano were not to kill her, EJ would do so without a qualm. He would do anything to please dear Father!"

"Some things are worth the risk, Tony," I suggested. "When Anna spoke about you, I could tell that she still loves you. Even now."

Tony shook his head with determination.

"No. Anna has moved on with her life now. I won't allow her to be endangered again. And besides..."

Tony took my hand in both of his.

"...I believe there is someone else now."

His words and his touch took my breath away.

"For so many years, I have kept this secret," he confessed. "I have been so careful not to slip up. I could not afford to make any mistakes. But then you came into my life. And I seem to have lost all of my concentration. I have become careless. Sometimes, I admit that I did act boorish to keep you off-guard. I find that usually an effective tool to stay in control. But then there have been other times when...I feel there is some sort of...connection between us. A compulsion, an obsession, whatever you wish to call it. And I've never experienced this before in my life. It's almost...like some outside force is driving us to be together."

I nodded in agreement. That was exactly the case. The way I felt so sensitive to his every look and his every touch was unnatural. And I'm sure the 'outside force' was Renee, although why she would want to drive me into the arms of her lover I could not say.

"Tony," I ventured. "I am sorry that I accused you of trying to turn me into Renee. That was unfair and wrong of me to say such a stupid thing."

"It's understandable, I suppose," Tony said. "It fits right in with the Dimera history. And I should also apologize for what I said to you when we had that horrible argument, comparing you to Renee. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just upset."

"Well, I suppose I must be pretty dull compared to her..." I admitted.

"You have a unique quality all of your own, Leigh," Tony insisted, squeezing my hand. "You must not underrate yourself that way. You are clever and sensitive and beautiful and adventurous..."

"You're very good for my ego, Count Dimera," I smiled.

"And the clothes and the roses...I didn't realize what I was doing," Tony hurried to explain. "You were right, of course. But I never meant to do any of that. Really, Leigh, I'm hopeless with women."

"I find that very hard to believe."

"Believe it. I've been through three failed marriages. Sometimes I am horribly crude and insensitive and I apologize."

"Apology accepted. But maybe you are thinking about Renee when you see me, at least subconsciously. After all, I look a lot like her. And you loved her once. And now here we are living together in this place and..."

"That would possibly explain my attraction. But how does it explain yours?"

He took my hand up to his lips. His warm breath against my skin made me quiver.

"You want me, Leigh. I know you do. Don't try to deny it."

How could I deny it when I was shaking like a leaf?

"I am not a Dimera," he confirmed. "I am not related to Renee. And I am not related to you. That is why I have confessed all of this to you. And now there is nothing standing in our way."

Oh, there were a lot of other reasons...but I just couldn't remember them when his dark eyes burned into me with such heat as he moved closer to me upon the bed.

He was going to kiss me again, I could tell.

I closed my eyes and parted my lips, waiting breathlessly. Softly, sweetly, he pressed his mouth to mine, possessing me. And this time there was no anger or shame. Just sensations and exploration and pleasure...

Coaxing me down upon my back on the bed, Tony leaned over me, nibbling at my neck. The weight of his body on top of mine felt so exquisite. Everything about him was perfect...scars and miseries and all.

Was this what love felt like? I wondered as I panted breathlessly, reveling in his touch. After feeling cold and alone for so long, was this passion? I was stunned to discover that I could feel this way...and I was also terrified. I had thought I was an experienced woman. But I now knew that just because I had two rather pathetic relationships in college did not mean that I knew anything at all. With this man, I was a babe in the woods. He could make me do whatever he wanted. And he could break the heart that I never thought I had.

"Tony...?" I asked.

"Leigh, I want you so much...I feel like a teenager!" he chuckled, nibbling on my ear. "It's truly incredible at my age!"

"Maybe we should get to know each other better," I pleaded. "I mean, this is crazy. How long have we known each other? A week...if that?"

With no small amount of self-control, Tony stopped kissing me and buried his face into my neck.

"You're afraid of me, aren't you?"

"No!" I protested, although I was afraid of him a little. Who wouldn't be?. "I mean...this is just happening so fast."

"And you're very young," he said. "Does the age difference between us bother you?"

I was taken aback. With supernatural obsessions and such, I hadn't considered such a mundane detail as an age difference.

"No," I said truthfully. "I value a man with experience."

"Ahhh..." he answered with a sly smile, pleased by my answer. "I do have that."

"I should think it would be more of a problem for you. Are you going to find yourself bored with my conversation? Are you going to wish that you were with someone smarter and more sophisticated?"

He shrugged.

"I haven't so far. And you seem quite mature for your age."

I stood up from the bed, trying to save what remnants of whatever sanity I had left.

Taking a few ragged breaths, I looked in the mirror, straightening my blouse and smoothing down my hair. I saw in the mirror's reflection that Tony was still reclined on my bed, practically undressing me with his eyes.

"You'd probably say anything to have your way with me, Count Dimera" I flirted, unable to resist teasing him just a little.

Tony's expression was a serious one.

"Leigh, I never thought I would feel this way again. After Kristen..."

He stopped himself.

"All of that is the past now. And I want to live for the present. I will wait as long as you need me to. But you will stay here, won't you? You won't try to run away?"

I swallowed hard, remembering the e-mail I had sent only an hour or two ago. But was what the chance that anyone would understand it?

And I looked down shyly.

How did Tony Dimera manage to wrench my heart with only a few softly-spoken words? And how could I leave him when I was falling in love with him?

"Yes, Tony. I'll stay."

With those words, I sealed my fate.


	14. The Chess Game

Life at the bunker began to become…dare I say it…routine. Well, as routine as any life could be living underground with a notorious man like Tony Dimera.

Our days began to have a regularity to them that was comforting.

Tony and I always shared our meals together, conversing on the same topics that I suppose all couples discuss. Our likes and dislikes. Politics, religion, music, films. Sometimes it would be surreal, sitting at the breakfast table with my croissant and coffee, listening to Tony talk about his preferences for film noir and modern art.

After Tony's daily fencing sessions, I would usually take over his exercise room, jump roping or running on the treadmill. I did this every day, whether I felt like it or not. I found the exercise helped me to stay calm and centered during this crazy time in my life. Tony recommended yoga and meditation, confiding in me that he often used the disciplines as a means of controlling his inner rage when the demons of his past threatened to consume him.

After our exercise, we would have lunch. Then we would usually spend the afternoons reading together in the library or watching one of his foreign films.

At dinner, Tony always insisted that I dress in one of the extravagant evening gowns in my closet. There was always vintage wine and some exotic cuisine involved. And occasionally, Tony would give me some expensive present after dinner…like an emerald necklace or sapphire earrings. I begged him not to buy such frivolous things on my account, but he would insist, often wanting me to put them on before dinner was even over.

But there were no more tangos…

In fact, we rarely, if ever, made any physical contact with each other at all.

This self-imposed abstinence was a silent pact between the two of us. We understood that our attraction to each other was unusually strong and volatile, often painful in its intensity. We did not dare take the risk of engaging in make-out sessions like teenagers would do in the back of a car. We both knew that if we started playing with this unnatural fire, there was a great possibility that neither of us would have the self-control to stop. And I was not yet willing to take the next step.

But the long looks, soft smiles and double entendres on a daily basis were tormenting enough in their own right.

But the nights were the hardest of all to get through.

Sometimes, I would lie awake for hours, thinking of all of the reasons why I should not want to have anything to do with Tony Dimera.

First of all, Tony was right that there was a great disparity in our ages. I didn't know how old he was and didn't want to ask. But I guessed that there had to be at least 15 years between us…and that was being extremely optimistic. Still, if I were brutally honest with myself, I found that I preferred being with an older man. I had dated my share of men my own age and usually found myself bored to tears with them. But with Tony, I had learned so much on a variety of subjects. He seemed to be flattered when I would ask his opinion or advice on a certain topic. And we often would have very interesting conversations.

OK. I would mentally check off the age difference as a non-issue.

There was also the matter of his rakish past. To say that Tony was a 'player' was to put it nicely. He had probably done things in the bedroom that I'd never even heard of. And I hated to think of him with any other woman, even Renee. And there must have been tons of women in his past. On the other hand, I yearned to know what forbidden secrets he could teach me if we ever…but it was best not to think about that.

Let's just say that Tony's past was sort of repulsive and attractive at the same time.

Next item on the list...

Dishonesty. Tony Dimera only lied when his lips moved. I wanted to believe what he was telling me about his past. Yet how could I really trust him when I was isolated from the rest of the world and had no way to verify the facts? All I could do was pray that he was not deceiving me...which put me in a very perilous position.

Yes, this was definitely a bad mark against him.

Crime. I was certain that he must have committed a few felonies over the years. He had simply never been caught red-handed. I could only hope he had never murdered anyone.

Also a very bad mark against him.

Possessiveness. Tony was a major control freak. He was always planning out the meals, the entertainment and even telling me what clothes to wear at dinner. Such domination and control was rather attractive in a naughty sort of way but not very practical. For instance, I had a hard time visualizing him sitting at home with cold leftovers while I'd be out chasing the hottest exclusive for the London Spectator.

Temperament. Tony could definitely be high strung and high maintenance and downright mean. Sometimes he would treat Bart absolutely abominably for the slightest mistake, although he would attempt to keep his temper in check when I was around. Other times, he could be condescending and cold and hopelessly arrogant.

And then I would think on his good qualities.

Sensitivity. I often would recall that day when I was upset about my parents in the library and how comforting he was. Sometimes, he would seem like such a hard man...but at other times, he could be surprisingly sweet and understanding. I was even starting to think that he was becoming a good friend to me. And I hadn't really had any friends in recent years, save Jack and Jennifer.

Fun. Sometimes, when we would play games or watch our films, I would feel like he was the fun date that I never had in my teenage years. He had a wicked sense of humor and would sometimes say the most shocking things. When he was in a good mood, he could be very charming and pleasant to be with.

Attractiveness. Tony got an A plus in that department. He was a beautiful man, his age and scars notwithstanding. I had not made up my mind if he was truly handsome in a classic sense. But he was indeed striking, almost hypnotically so. When he was in the room with me, sometimes I was hard pressed to take my eyes off of him. And there was that elegant voice that I could listen to all day.

Chemistry. .I would reminisce about our tango, about our stormy forbidden kiss in the dining room, about our sweet embrace in the guest bedroom…and I would toss and turn restlessly, eagerly waiting for the morning hours when I could see him again at the breakfast table. He was always a gentleman...but the way he would look at me sometimes would make me blush right down to my toes. I would call myself every sort of idiot for not throwing all caution to the winds. I would tell myself to simply go to his bedroom and beg him to make love to me, so we could both be out of our misery. But I would talk myself out of it, knowing that rushing into a potentially devastating love affair would not solve any of our problems. And then I would stare at the bedroom door, wishing and willing the knob to turn, revealing his presence. He would be standing before me with fire in his eyes, removing his cufflinks…just like in my dream...

Oh, I was going crazy!

And I couldn't even blame Renee these days for my naughty ghost had been very quiet as of late. I wondered when, if ever, I would hear from her again…

-------------------------------------

Exasperated by my constant crosswords and word finds, Tony insisted that I should learn how to play chess. The game was much more challenging for the mind than simple word puzzles, he declared. And besides, every self-respecting Dimera knew how to play chess! However, I was having trouble getting into the proper mindset. I was never all that great with planning strategy moves…and having Tony sitting across from me, looking like he would rip off my clothes at any minute, did not help my concentration one bit.

"Leigh, where's your focus?" Tony chided playfully. "Am I going to have to get a professional master player in here to whip you into shape?"

I had never thought that he was serious about carrying out that threat!

"Leigh, meet Dr. Hermann Schultz, one of the world's greatest chess masters!" Tony announced one afternoon, escorting in a strangely stooped figure. The elderly man had a cane and was wearing an ugly plaid suit that looked like a reject from the sixties.

"Tony, isn't it risky to bring in a stranger like this?" I cautioned, pulling him off to the side.

"Oh, I'm certain he's quite harmless," he said, shrugging. "He's been checked out thoroughly."

"Well. OK. If you say so..."

"I'll leave her to you, Professor..."

After Tony left the room, I sat down across from the chess instructor, feeling odd. It felt strange attempting to make conversation with anyone else besides Tony and Bart. That was how long I had been cooped up in this place!

"Well, I must say this is a surprise..." I confessed, looking curiously at the odd man across from me. With the beret, ugly jacket, glasses and long gray beard, I could barely make out his face. "We rarely have guests here. Actually, we never have guests here. And as Tony will tell you, I can barely remember a rook from a knight."

"Oh, eet eez all eeazy to learn...eezy as pie..."

I was taken aback.

That man's accent wasn't just foreign. It was weird!

Squinting my eyes, I got a good look at his face...and I couldn't believe it!

"Jack!" I gasped, seeing through the crazy disguise.

"Ssshh!" Jack Deveraux whispered harshly, eyes wide with caution. "Not so loud! Are you alright, Leigh?"

"Yes!" I nodded. "Fine. How on earth did you find me?"

"That e-mail you sent," Jack answered. "Remember?"

"Oh!"

I had completely given up on that silly e-mail and actually had hoped that it had been deleted.

"Shane had no easy time dragging the truth out of Celeste, I can tell you that. Don't worry about a thing, Leigh! We have a plan to get you out of here really soon. Maybe even by tomorrow!"

I didn't know what to say.

Seeing Jack Deveraux was a good healthy dose of reality opposed to the twilight dream world of fantasy and sexual frustration that I had existed in for what seemed like weeks now, maybe even months. Seeing the sun again and breathing fresh air seemed like things that happened to other people.

And I realized how desperately I needed a normal life again.

But to escape to the world above, I would lose Tony…the scarred, damaged and mysterious man who I was certain I had lost my heart to.

Oh, why did life have to be so hard?

Jack must have seen the dismay on my face.

"Leigh, is everything really okay?" my boss asked with concern. "Dimera hasn't hurt you, has he? If he has, I swear I'll kill.."

"No, he hasn't..."

I saw the library door slowly open.

"Watch out!" I warned with a whisper.

"Leigh..."

It was Tony.

"Where does the pawn go again, Dr. Schultz?" I improvised with desperation.

"The pawn...eet goes right here like so...ja?"

"Leigh…" Tony repeated.

"Yes, Tony?"

I looked up and my mouth fell open. Tony Dimera looked positively stunning in black tie and tails. He could have been an exotic prince from some far off land. Or a movie star walking down the red carpet to receive an Academy Award.

"My, what's the occasion?" I asked. "Are we going to a ball and you forgot to tell me?"

"Just a hint of what's to come," Tony answered mysteriously, complete with a devilish smile. "I have a special evening planned for us tonight. I even took the liberty of purchasing a new gown for you. I would be honored if you would wear it. It's in your room on the bed."

I was definitely intrigued, wondering what he was up to.

"OK," I laughed. "Sure, I'll wear it. Oh, come on! That's all you're going to tell me?"

"You must be patient, little cat."

I could practically feel Jack reeling with shock at our rapport. He was even mouthing out the words 'little cat' in silent horror. I repressed a chuckle, halfway afraid that Jack would give us both away.

"How is the pupil doing, Professor Schultz?" Tony asked.

"Ah...verr-ee good, verr-ee good in-deeed..." Jack answered, hamming it up badly.

"Good work, Professor," Tony enthused. And then once more, he looked at me with a devil-may-care grin. "I shall look forward to our special evening tonight, Leigh."

"Yes…" I answered breathlessly.

Good Lord, was I blushing? I raised up a hand to my hot cheek. I was sure I was blushing…

After Tony left, closing the door behind him, Jack's sudden explosion stirred me out of my daze.

"I hope I am only imagining what I think I'm seeing and hearing!"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean what do I mean?" Jack retorted, frenzied. "If there were any more fireworks between you two, it would be the freaking Fourth of July! What's going on here?"

"Nothing," I replied innocently, feeling like a kid lectured by Dad after coming home late from the local school dance.

"Oh, you can't kid a kidder, Leigh. Has he tried anything?"

"No, Jack! Tony's been a real gentleman...most of the time."

"Well, he's definitely into you, Leigh! The vampire is practically licking his fangs and coming in for the kill. And I don't mind telling you I think it's disgusting. He's your uncle, for heaven's sake!"

"Actually...he's..."

But I had to think about Anna's safety. I couldn't say anything.

"Oh, it's a long story."

"OK! Never mind all that! What about the fact that he's old enough to be your father?!"

"I imagine the age difference between us is not that much more than between you and Jennifer," I replied in self-defense.

"I am not that old…and don't try to change the subject!" he scolded. "And thirdly, you know he's trouble, Leigh! He's a criminal and a terrorist! What are you thinking of, batting your eyelashes at him like that and...?"

"I'm doing nothing of the kind!"

"We've got to get you out of here as soon as possible," Jack said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't even like leaving you here for one more night. Now listen up...when the red Queen is facing backwards on the chess board…that is our signal, understand?"

-----------------------------------------

I entered the guest bedroom with a sigh of relief. Jack seemed to have left the bunker unscathed. And our escape plan was in place. For better or for worse…

Looking at the bed, I saw a beautiful silk gown of black and white, complete with long gloves and silk shoes. There was even an expensive diamond tiara beside it. The sight of that nearly gave me a heart attack. Tony was really going all out tonight.

What was he up to now?

I put on the dress. The bodice was tight fitting but elegant, shockingly low cut and yet somehow still classy. I pulled back my hair with the diamond tiara, dabbed on some perfume and even put on the emerald necklace from before.

This would probably be our last evening together, I thought as I looked at the stranger before me in the mirror. The realization brought tears to my eyes. I would miss him so much when I was gone.

Dressed as I was, I looked like a queen...or like Cinderella going to the ball. I mentally prepared myself to go meet my wicked Prince Charming in the dining room. I would have to give the performance of my life tonight and pretend like nothing out of the ordinary had happened today. And I would desperately try not to be sad…

When I entered the dining room, I was stunned. There were candles and flowers strewn everywhere! The room was a virtual kaleidoscope of light and color.

Bart and Tony were standing in the middle of the room, beaming at me like two mischievous little boys.

"Hey, guys..." I chuckled, spinning around the room in amazement. "What's going on?"

"An evening of romance!" Tony declared, upraising his arm with a dramatic gesture.

"Do you like it, Miss Daniels?" Bart asked like an anxious puppy dog.

"Sure, what's not to like?" I answered.

Tony pulled out a chair chivalrously, gesturing for me to sit down.

"Bart helped in the decorations...so I thought he should be allowed to see your reaction," he explained before sitting across from me at the small table in the center of the room.

"Thanks, Bart," I said. "It's great, really!"

"Ah...my pleasure, Miss Daniels."

OK, now Bart was seriously weirding me out, grinning at the two of us like an idiot. And since when did he start calling me 'Miss Daniels'? Usually it was 'Daniels' or 'Lady' or "Dame'. Why all the formality all of the sudden?

"You may go now, Bart."

"Oh, sure, Boss. Good night, Miss Daniels. You look really hot in that dress, by the way..."

"GOOD NIGHT, BART!" Tony exclaimed.

"Night!" Bart said with a wink.

I laughed as he left.

"Ahhh...alone at last..." Tony sighed. "And Bart is right. You do look lovely, my dear."

He reached across the table, taking my hand.

I inhaled sharply, biting my lip. It was the first time I think we had touched since that last time we had kissed me.

"You know it's funny..." I said quickly, trying to distract my mind from the way he was holding my hand. "I don't think Bart approved very much of us at first. He thought I was up to something. And he certainly didn't like it with your being my uncle and all. I wonder what happened to change his mind."

"Let's just say I set Bart straight on a few things and leave it at that, shall we?" Tony answered, caressing the inside of my palm with his thumb. "Now enough about Bart. I just want to enjoy our romantic dinner and you."

"So what's the occasion?"

"You'll see..." Tony said mysteriously, releasing my hand. "Champagne?"

He reached for a large bottle sitting in the center of the table.

"Champagne? Not Cabernet or Pinot Noir tonight?! This must really be something."

"You're not going to get it out of me, you know?" he taunted as he poured the bubbly liquid into my glass.

"I'm not, huh?"

"No, not until I am good and ready, Miss Daniels," he assured me as he poured his own glass. "A toast?"

"To what?"

"To us. And our special evening."

"I'll drink to that."

The clink of our glasses resounded in the magical dining room.

Dinner seemed to take forever. For some reason, I was getting very nervous. I could barely choke down my pheasant as Tony looked more and more like a cat who had swallowed a big fat canary. And he was so gorgeous in the darkness and the candlelight…

"You don't seem very hungry tonight."

"I guess I'm not."

My stomach was in knots and I couldn't eat a thing. I wasn't hungry...not for food anyway.

Tony took a remote control from his pocket and pressed a button. "Begin the Beguine" started playing in the background. I laughed out loud.

"You're full of surprises tonight, aren't you?"

"Would you care to dance?"

"Another tango?" I teased. "Do we dare?"

Tony raised an eyebrow in response.

"I mean..." I stammered. "I mean...I nearly trampled all over your foot the last time."

He stood up with a show of bravado, extending his hand to me.

"I'll take my chances. Come."

I eagerly obeyed his command, stepping into his arms.

"No tangos tonight," he said. "Just a nice slow dance..."

"Mmmm..."

Tony held me close as we swayed to the music. I put my head down on his shoulder, feeling the rough fabric of his jacket against my cheek. Just the simple act of dancing felt so intimate. I felt so alive, just being near him. And we stayed this way for a while, moving together to the beautiful music.

Then the song was over.

I couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of disappointment.

"Something wrong?"

"The music stopped..." I pouted.

"With us, I believe the music will never stop..."

I looked at Tony quizzically as he stepped away from me and went down to his knees.

The world seemed to freeze on its axis as I realized what he was about to do.

Pulling a velvet box out of his pocket, he opened it revealing an exquisite diamond ring.

"Leigh Daniels, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"


	15. Possessed

**AUTHOR NOTE: Warning that the next two chapters are R-rated. MAJOR STEAM ALERT! But I've tried to keep them in good taste. Read if you dare…**

**Ch. 15 – Possessed**

The sight of Tony Dimera, so handsome in his evening clothes, kneeling before me so romantically with the engagement ring was an image I wanted to remember forever. He looked so radiant as he smiled up at me. I was not accustomed to seeing such joy on his face.

Of course, this is what he had been planning tonight. The signs had been obvious all along. How could I have been so dense as to not see it? So much had been going on with Jack...and the escape plan...and...

"Tony...I don't know what to say…"

"Say yes..." he urged. "We will be so happy together, Leigh. I believe that."

With this magical moment that Tony had created, it would have been so easy to just pretend that the next day would never come.

I yearned to say yes. The word was practically right there on my lips, just waiting to be spoken. But I clenched my lips together, not allowing myself that weakness.

I loved Tony. I knew that for certain now. No matter how reckless and foolish it might be, I loved him.

But loving him was not going to be enough.

We were still living in this bunker on the run from criminals. I still couldn't really be sure of what the truth was. Even if I could resolve myself to that, would I eventually grow to resent Tony for living this way? Yes, I loved him and wanted him. But after being married to him, eventually the bloom would wear off that rose. And then what would happen? Would we drive each other mad, trapped down here like caged animals?

I turned away from Tony, agonized by the sight of him.

All my life, I seemed to have to weather storms. Even with my adopted parents, there were many too times when I had felt like an outsider, a freak. Then I lost my family at too young an age. I rushed into two separate love affairs with immature college boys, trying to somehow take an edge off the pain but only hurting more. And now this Dimera legacy had come into my life...and this man. Hadn't I suffered enough? For just one night, couldn't I pretend? Couldn't I just grasp at happiness with both hands just once...and not care about tomorrow?

But I couldn't do that to Tony.

I liked to think that I really knew the man. Better than anyone in Salem knew him. Better than Stefano Dimera knew him. I knew him well enough to know that with every failed marriage and tragic love affair, another piece of his soul had been damaged. I did not want to add myself to the list of Liz and Renee and Anna and Kristen.

"Leigh?" Tony asked, obviously pained.

I heard him rise back up to his feet. And then he was pacing back and forth anxiously.

"Leigh, I know how you feel about living here," he said. "But it won't be forever, I promise. We just have to get through this craziness and then we can live wherever you would like."

"As long as Stefano and EJ are controlling our lives, there's no guarantee we'll ever be free from here..."

"But we could be happy together like this, couldn't we?" he asked with hope, whirling me around to face him. "This hasn't been so bad, has it?"

"But to rush into marriage like this!?" I exclaimed. "It's crazy. We're not ready for marriage!"

"What nonsense!" he scoffed. "I've spent more time with you in the last few weeks than with anyone in recent memory. In some ways, we are practically married already. Except in the ways that matter the most…"

"And even if we do leave here, how would we know that we could stand each other out there in the real world?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!" Tony smiled with a wave of his hand. "Life is full of uncertainties, Leigh! Marriage is a risk! And I'm willing to take that risk once more to be with you..."

Lord, he was not making this easy for me!

"But marriage!? I mean, we haven't even…"

I could not continue, blushing.

"That condition is on your terms, Leigh," Tony stated simply. "It always has been."

"I know," I nodded. "And you've been a real gentleman."

"Because I know that you are worth waiting for…"

I tried to shy away again, but he wouldn't let me. Taking my face in his hands, he looked into my eyes searchingly.

"I know I'm not the most respectable man in the world," Tony admitted. "I could not blame you for having reservations. I know this sounds horrifically old-fashioned, but my intentions are honorable ones. I want you to be my wife."

I could tell by the playful look in his eye that he was going to kiss me. And if I let him do that, I would lose whatever resolve I was tenuously grasping on to.

"Tony, please..." I begged, grasping his hands and pulling them away from me. "I mean, you might not even like me."

I turned away, just needing some air to breathe.

"I had a boyfriend in college once who broke up with me, calling me a 'cold fish'. Now do you really want to marry a 'cold fish'?"

Tony laughed loudly.

"Well, that boy was an idiot!" he scoffed before quickly grabbing me in a tight clinch from behind. "And even if you are a 'cold fish' as you say…"

Tony licked my ear naughtily, eliciting a helpless moan from me.

"And I do not believe that for a moment…" he added, blowing softly in my ear. "I believe I'm more than up to the challenge of warming you up."

Leave it up to Dimera to turn my argument into a sexy dare!

I felt dizzy and faint with longing as he held me tightly against him.

"What do you think gave me the courage to try this marriage business again?" he whispered, planting kisses along the side of my neck. "I've been going absolutely crazy. And I don't want to wait anymore..."

"Tony," I rasped. "Seducing me is not going to solve anything."

"Oh, I think it would solve a lot..." he teased.

"I'M SERIOUS!" I cried out, stomping my foot and pushing him away from me.

For a long time, there was a strained silence between us.

"Yes, I believe you are..." Tony said in pained amazement before scowling with his customary petulance. I hated being the cause of that look.

"So I take it you're rejecting my offer of marriage…?"

I felt like crying.

"I really didn't see this coming, Tony."

"I know it was impulsive of me," he admitted. "I suppose I make bad decisions along these lines, thinking with my heart and not my head. Father always used to say that..."

His voice trailed off with a bitterness that broke my heart.

"I'm sorry," I said, tears running down my cheeks.

"No, I apologize if I was rash," Tony said quietly. "But going on like this...wanting you constantly day after day…night after night. I'm a man, Leigh! Not a saint! And sometimes, I feel like we're going to just burst into flames. And other times, I think that you're afraid and reluctant and you want nothing more than to get away from me."

"I never meant to make you feel like that."

"I thought perhaps if we were married, things would be different."

I shook my head in refusal.

"I'm just not ready for that kind of a commitment."

"So you don't want a commitment and you don't want..." Tony laughed bitterly. "Well, I guess the truth is you don't really want me at all."

"We both know that isn't true..."

"NO, I DON'T KNOW THAT, LEIGH!" Tony yelled at me, losing his temper. "I thought I did...but...what do you want from me, Leigh? Please tell me..."

I wished absurdly that I could tell Tony everything. I wanted to confide in him about Jack and the escape plan and even about Renee haunting me. But I was too afraid of what he would do.

And that was the problem.

I could not trust Tony Dimera. And without trust, there was nothing.

"Right now…" I sighed, fighting back a sob. "I just need some time alone. Excuse me."

I rushed away from the horrible dining room with all of the candles and flowers.

And I felt so sick I wanted to throw up.

------------------------------------------------------

Once in the guest bedroom, I closed the door behind me and sobbed in wretched agony.

The room seemed to be as cold as ice.

I shivered, hugging myself as I broke down. Would I always be like this…cold and alone and miserable?

And then I saw it...

**COWARD**

On my dressing room mirror, the insult was sprawled across the glass in vibrant red lipstick. And I was fairly certain that Bart had nothing to do with it.

"Oh, real mature, Renee!" I yelled, sniffling as I tried to wipe the word off of the mirror with a Kleenex. "I can see that you're just as much of an immature spoiled brat in the afterlife as you were when you were alive!"

Even though I had just wiped the word off, COWARD appeared again on the mirror in big bright letters. Only the word seemed even larger this time.

"Oh, how dare you!"

If only I had the family album in the guest bedroom with me! Then I could rip up all of her old pictures and tell her what I really thought of her and her stupid shenanigans!

As it was, I had to resort to railing at my own image in the mirror.

"I don't understand you!" I raged at my cruel ghost. "What the hell do you care what happens between me and Tony? My God, you were so jealous of Anna that you even tried to kill her! So why are you so hot to get me together with Tony? I don't get it!"

As I looked into the crazed eyes of my reflection, the answer came to me.

My hand flew up, covering my mouth in shock.

Renee was not trying to get us together. But she was trying to get to Tony through me...using me!

Yes! Of course! That would explain this unnatural gnawing obsession I had to climb into Tony's bed every minute of the day. It was as if I were...possessed...by her.

"NO!"

I ranted at the mirror.

"NO! Absolutely not, Renee!"

I ripped the tiara from my hair, shaking my hair loose as I kept on talking.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to you, Renee. Really! Being killed by your father's goon…who looked like Tony…right when you were about to get engaged and inherit all of that money and really be happy…that really sucked, OK? That really sucked big time! But doing this is so wrong. Don't you see that?"

And then I laughed hysterically, wondering why I was bothering to try to reason with a ghost.

Man, where was Celeste when I needed her?

Turning away from the dressing room mirror in disgust, I pulled off the evening gown and prepared for bed.

"I won't do it, Renee," I said as I got ready for bed. "I won't sleep with Tony and I certainly won't marry him! Now I've got a big day tomorrow because I'm finally getting out of this place. So I'm sorry you're disappointed but…there's only so much I'm willing to do for you. You'll just have to deal."

She did not come to me in dreams this time.

My impatient ghost would not even wait for me to fall asleep.

All I had to do was close my eyes and lie down on the bed...and the most forbidden erotic images played in my mind. Renee and Tony were naked and tangled in white sheets, kissing frantically with an animal passion, both of them moaning and panting with pleasure. The vision made me writhe with frustrated desire as if I hadn't already been in such a state for weeks. Was that Renee or was that me? Was it a memory or a fantasy? I had no way of knowing.

"Stop it, Renee!" I moaned, throwing a pillow over my head and rolling over on my side. "Just leave me alone!"

But she had infected my mind. And there was no shutting her out. Not tonight.

There they were…or we were…clutching at each other for dear life, ecstatic and wild...

I opened my eyes...but still the images kept flashing before me, one after another…

"Stop…" I whispered. "Please…stop..."

But just like Stefano, Renee had been ruthless in life when she wanted something. And she was just as equally determined in the afterworld. She would get what she wanted from me...or drive me mad.

And I could sense everything...

The warmth and the sweat. The scent of Tony's cologne. The dark hairs of his chest tickling me. The sound of frantic gasps. The sweet feel of his mouth.

"OK!" I started as I sat up from the bed violently, hot and trembling. "OK! You win..."

I looked at my reflection and at the word COWARD on the mirror.

"Look," I panted. "I'll make a deal with you. If I…go to Tony tonight, will you leave me alone once and for all? Can I live a normal life again…without you haunting me and bothering me?"

The word COWARD faded from the mirror.

"I'll take that as a yes. Just once…Renee…just one time! And then no more games!"

I stepped in the shower, soaping myself up and trying to cool down a little.

"You know you're raping us, Renee," I said as I toweled myself off. "Neither Tony nor I are really being consensual in this situation with you manipulating us this way. And you're being no better than your father, Stefano!"

There was no acknowledgement in the affirmative or negative to my accusations. Just an expectant silence...

Searching through the drawers of the armoire for some sexy lingerie, I continued to let my ghost have it.

"Never mind about how you're exploiting me," I huffed. "I expect that you could care less about that. But what about the so-called love of your life? Do you think having me sleep with Tony the night before my escape is going to make him feel any better in the long run? You are being completely selfish about this whole thing!"

Picking a pink sheer lacy negligee, I studied myself in the mirror. Would he like how I looked in this? I wondered nervously as I dabbed a little perfume behind my ears.

Consensual or no, my heart was racing with anticipation at what I was about to do. I never wanted anything in my life as much as I wanted Tony. At least, I thought I wanted him. What if Renee was just invading my senses the way she had invaded my mind? But I would never know for sure...not until I saw this through.

"Well, Renee…" I whispered as I left the guest bedroom and ventured to the Master Bedroom. "Here goes…"

I swallowed hard and put a hand on my heart for just a moment in a silly attempt to keep it from racing a mile a minute. Jeez, what was I doing? What did I know about seducing a man like Tony Dimera?

But there was no use retreating. I suspected Renee would only continue to torture me for the rest of all time.

I knocked on the door.

"GO AWAY, BART!"

Oh, he was in a black mood…

I knocked again, afraid but doing it.

"BART, WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

Tony opened the door, still in his evening clothes sans his jacket. He had a champagne glass in his hand, probably on his way to getting drunk. And the pain in his eyes made me just want to take him and hold him and stroke his hair. I never wanted him to feel hurt again.

"Leigh…" he exclaimed in surprise.

I needn't have worried about my choice of negligees.

As I stood before him, Tony's gaze ran up and down my unclad body, burning into me with hot red intensity. His breathing grew labored as he blinked several times. I even saw a pulse throbbing hard at his neck.

"Wh-what do you want?" he asked in shock.

Hearing the all-powerful Tony Dimera stutter and ask such a silly question made me feel a little better. I even smiled softly at the knowledge. At least I wasn't the only one who was nervous.

Silently, I reached out for him, digging my fingers into his strong shoulders as I planted baby kisses on his neck, his collarbone, his scarred cheek, his ear…

The champagne glass slipped from his grasp, splashing the cold fizzy liquid on my bare feet.

Oblivious, I reached up and tangled my fingers through his black hair, urging him to kiss me. With a moan, he obliged, leaning down and hungrily devouring my mouth. And I felt so free, allowing myself to finally give in to all of the passion that I had been holding back for so long.

Abruptly, he grasped me by the waist, whirling me around so that I was in the bedroom. Leaning against the door, he locked it behind him, all the while staring at me with a smoldering intensity.

I was already on him again, undoing the buttons of his white dress shirt, yearning to see all of him and feel all of him...

"Wait!" he hissed harshly, grabbing my hands. "These scars…I'm very self-conscious about them. Please…just a moment…"

Tony turned, dimming the lamp behind him with shaking hands.

The movement seemed to spring memories of a time long ago…when he had dimmed a lamp in the Dimera Manor. The past and present seemed to collide as he turned, taking off his cufflinks, undoing his belt...

I felt almost in a drugged state. Like I was there...but not there...

"This is our moment…"

The words were coming out of my mouth, but they weren't mine. Renee was saying them, whispering the same words that he had said to her on that tragic night so long ago.

"No one else exists in this entire world except you and I…"

Tony smiled at me gently, reaching out his hand to me.

"I feel exactly the same way..."

I took his hand and joined him before wrapping my arms around him possessively, feeling as I were living in a dream. At last, he was mine...

"Leigh, you're certain about this...?"

"I've wanted you and your love for so long, and now…"

I pressed my lips together, trying to quiet down her spirit.

Tony hugged me fiercely.

"I want you…" he confided. "I wanted you from the first moment that I saw you. And you have my love, Leigh. All that I have to give."

I was moved by his confession and wanted to return the sentiment. But Renee would allow no more words...

With trembling fingers, I reached for the straps of my pink negligee, allowing it to shimmy down to the floor…just as if it were the black and silver evening gown that she had worn that night. Only I had no black slip on underneath. I was completely naked before him, blushing with embarrassment and excitement.

"Oh, Leigh…" Tony exclaimed, taking in the sight of my nudity. "You are so beautiful, my love."

He kissed my bare shoulder before coaxing me down upon the bed.

"Trust me," he whispered as he stroked my hair gently. "Let me love you…"

Flesh and fantasy…the past and the present…were all one. Sometimes, the dreams and memories would play in my mind's eye of that night long ago...even while I kissed the scars on Tony Dimera's chest. Other times, I was completely in the present, utterly lost to all of the new sensations that I was feeling.. And always, there was Tony…my teacher, my friend, and now my lover…guiding me and teasing me, shocking me and soothing me...waking me up to a sensual world that I had not even dreamed of...


	16. The Great Escape

**AUTHOR NOTE: Another R-rated chapter.**

**Ch. 16 – The Great Escape**

Renee is gone.

That was the first thought I had when I opened my eyes…still naked and tangled up in the blue satin bed sheets.

I knew she was gone because I had not felt so well rested in years. At last, a peaceful night with no dreams and no nightmares...

I felt so marvelously comfortable on the gigantic bed that I couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh as I stretched lazily like a cat in the sun.

"Good morning…" Tony whispered with a knowing smile. He was lying beside me on the bed, leaning on his elbow, tracing my bare shoulder with his fingertips.

"Good morning…" I answered shyly.

He kissed me gently on the lips.

"And it truly is a good morning, isn't it?"

"Mmmm...one of the best ever…"

"I'm so glad you're pleased..." he smiled, running his hand along my arm. "I was a little worried..."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I was so frenzied and out of control last night. I just wasn't sure that I was very satisfactory lover material."

I blinked in confusion. How could last night have been any better?

"Tony, I have no complaints. Absolutely none at all, believe me!"

"Ah, but you're such a little innocent…" he teased. "You really don't have a basis of comparison, do you?"

Actually, I did. There had been my previous boyfriends. But after last night, whatever I had shared with them seemed completely unmemorable. But I didn't feel compelled to say so. Somehow, I suspected the arrogant bad boy beside me knew that already anyway!

"Well, if I'm such an innocent, perhaps you should enlighten me…"

"Mmmm…that was exactly what I had in mind…"

With a playful growl, he rolled over, grabbed my wrists and held them down at my sides while he kissed the sensitive part of my collarbone that he somehow knew drove me wild…

-------------------------

During my early tenure at the London Spectator, Vern would often assign me fluffy stories for the newspaper. Fashion trends, health tips, recipes, et cetera. Sometimes I would have to write women's articles about the usual topics: boyfriends, weddings, sex, babies. And I would have to do more articles than I could count about love and the Big O and sexual fulfillment and such. Usually, I would just grit my teeth and type out all of the stuff, shaking my head in disgust.

…Lying in Tony's bed, I now realized what I had been missing out on for so long. Closing my eyes, I rubbed my cheek against his warm bare back as I lay beside him, my legs curled up behind his in spoon fashion. I now knew what sexual fulfillment really was…and I felt like a new woman.

How would I ever settle for life without this feeling…now that I had a taste of it?

The thought reminded me that today was the Great Escape. And here I was lounging the day away in afterglow…

Very slowly and carefully, I extricated myself from the bed. Glancing at a clock, I saw that it was twelve o'clock. Grabbing one of Tony's spare dressing gowns carelessly tossed upon the floor, I tiptoed out into the hallway and crept to the living room.

There was the chess board with the red queen facing backwards.

I couldn't help but be disappointed to see that the escape plan had indeed already been set in action.

I was to go to the kitchen area at 2:00 p.m. sharp. There were at least two other employees in the Dimera bunker besides Bart: a chef and a maid. I rarely ever saw them, but the food was always top-notch and the rooms were always immaculate. So I knew they were around somewhere. Jack said that the plan would have to do with them, so I would need to watch for that.

I made my way back to the Master Bedroom, taking off Tony's dressing gown. I stared longingly at my lover, still sprawled across the bed in exhausted repose.

After the lovemaking marathon I had just been a part of, I simply could not go back out into the civilized world without a shower.

Tiptoeing into the Master Bathroom, I discovered that I had really been getting the short end of the deal with my stay here. Tony had a huge Jacuzzi bathtub along with a separate shower and a large dressing room area along with all of the other bathroom necessities. Man, I wish I had known about that hot tub earlier, I sulked. And when I thought of lounging in the Jacuzzi with Tony...

But what was the use of thinking that way now?

Nude, I stepped into the shower, forcing myself to endure the freezing water. I needed to wash off all of the memories of the last 24 hours if I was to stay sane. I needed to clear my head, to get my responses sharpened up, to be ready for whatever would come my way…

"Good Lord!"

The exclamation nearly caused me to scream when I whirled around to see Tony by my side, naked as a jaybird.

"Tony!" I squeaked. "You startled me…"

"Sorry," he said abruptly, reaching for the shower handles. "Showering in water this cold is absolute torture! How can you stand it?"

Steam began to rise as the water became much warmer. As I watched Tony, with his hair all wet and rivulets of water running down his body, I was all too aware that the water temperature wasn't the only thing getting hot!

Oh, good grief, not again...

"Mmmm…that's much better, isn't it?" he asked with a wicked grin.

I turned away from him, trying to fight the intense wave of desire that gripped me. While Renee had controlled my mind, she must not have been entirely responsible for my libido. I wanted Tony now just as much as ever…and at this moment she had absolutely nothing to do with it.

"Still shy?" Tony teased, taking the bar of soap. "I can't imagine why…after last night…and this morning…."

He proceeded to lather the soap along my back, kneading and massaging my muscles with those magic hands of his...

"I was lying on the bed, hearing the shower water run and imagining you in here. Then I decided that I would not settle for just fantasies of you anymore. So here I am…"

I moaned in helpless pleasure at his touch, wondering how I would ever escape him at this rate.

"Do you like that, little cat?" he taunted, moving his hands up to my shoulders.

"You know I do…"

"I should warn you that you are marrying an insatiable animal…" he murmured, nibbling at my ear. "And with very demanding appetites."

I gasped as he bit the lobe of my ear, gently enough not to hurt but hard enough to give my senses a good jolt.

"You simply must resign yourself to your fate…"

"Consider me resigned…" I answered, turning to kiss him hungrily as I allowed him to press me up against the shower wall. The feeling of our wet warm bodies together was beyond erotic. There was no way I could resist him under these circumstances.

My last coherent thought before succumbing to Tony was that I still had an hour to spare…

------------------------------------

Even Mr. Insatiable-Animal-with-Demanding-Appetites had his limits. Our last encounter in the shower had apparently worn him out. He was even snoring slightly, lying along the large bed in a heap, getting the blue sheets all wet since he had not even dried off thoroughly. I had it bad for him. Even his snores were appealing…

As for me, I was absolutely sore and exhausted and emotional, but I could not allow myself to sink into a state of blissful afterglow this time.

Leaning down next to him, I kissed him one last time on the lips.

He stirred just a bit, smiling slightly.

"…Love you…" he purred.

"I love you…" I whispered back sadly. "I think I always will."

I stroked his damp hair for a moment, sighing with guilt and remorse.

And then I rose up, walking away from him, feeling like I was dying inside.

I went to the Guest Bedroom, slipped on a navy blue pants suit and pulled back my still-wet hair, not bothering with any makeup.

Feeling bleak and depressed, I sat down upon the bed in despair. I still had fifteen minutes to go before I was to go to the kitchen.

I tried to meditate and calm myself during this small window of time. But it wasn't working.

What would happen if I just didn't go to the kitchen, I wondered. What if I just got undressed and crept back into Tony's bed and pretended I had never seen Jack? But I couldn't do that. Shane, Jack and Jennifer would be frantic about me. And they might try something rash. People might get hurt. Tony could get hurt…

No, I started this.

I made my bed and had to lie in it. The analogy was a little too close to home and made me moan in grief.

But what if I was to go to the kitchen, meet my rescuer and simply tell him that I could not go? If I just explained the situation in a rational way…

That could work, couldn't it?

And then I was taken aback by the crazy plan. What was I thinking? Then I would be condemning myself to a life down here for possibly the rest of my days. But with Tony as my husband, perhaps I could get used to it. It wouldn't be easy, living like this and isolated from the world…but at least I wouldn't feel like I was about to rip my own heart out.

That seemed to be as good a strategy as any, I decided.

Two o'clock. It was time.

Carefully, I made my way to the kitchen. Peeking around, I saw no sign of Bart anywhere. Good.

"Leigh!"

Shane Donovan was there, wearing a chef's outfit.

"Thank God you're all right!" He hurried to my side, taking me by the arm. "Now we must hurry. For this plan to work, every second counts."

"Shane..." I pulled away from him. "I can't do this..."

He looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

"Leigh, there's nothing to be afraid of," he said in an effort to comfort me. "We're going to get you out of here. And Tony Dimera will not be able to hurt you anymore."

"He hasn't hurt me!" I protested. "That's just it! And I can't leave him..."

"Now, Leigh..." Shane looked at me like a stern parent. "We must go now. Come on, we can talk about this in the car."

"NO!" I cried out frantically, deciding just to plunge in. "Shane, I love him!"

The spy stared at me in shock, looking very concerned about me.

"Leigh, what are you saying?"

"I love Tony and I can't leave him! Please just go away!"

Shane shook his head in disbelief.

"Look, I'm sure Dimera has somehow threatened you into saying all of this. But everything is taken care of. You're safe."

"He hasn't threatened me!" I insisted. "He loves me and I love him. We're very happy together. We're going to get married. Shane, please…"

"Leigh, this is what the Dimeras do!" he explained patiently. "They manipulate and play mind games and brainwash people. They do whatever they have to in order to get what they want. Now I don't know what's been going on here...but I'm certain that in some way he is controlling you. And that's why you're saying all of these crazy things..."

"No, you're wrong!"

"Leigh!"

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice.

Jennifer was there, dressed in a maid's outfit. For some reason, the sight of my friend just broke down all of my defenses. And I started to sob…

"Leigh, please listen to Shane..." Jennifer begged, reaching out her hand to me. "We've all been so worried about you. Come on. Let's get you out of here."

I ran up to her and hugged her, feeling as if she was the sister I never had.

"I love him, Jennifer…" I sobbed into her blonde hair. "Please tell Shane that! I love Tony…I do…"

"Please...Leigh...we can work all of this out. We can. But let's just go, OK?"

"I can't just leave him this way!"

Shane and Jennifer exchanged an odd look with each other.

"Leigh…we have EJ Wells under arrest," Shane said. "And he's told us everything. It will be OK. Tony will be OK. Trust us, please…"

I calmed down just a little. If EJ had been arrested, then perhaps Andre would be caught too. And we could all live a normal life. Tony could live a normal life without this self-imposed imprisonment in this bunker. And maybe…maybe we could be really happy…

"You'll come with us?" Jennifer asked.

I nodded.

"Alright..." Shane coaxed. "Now that's all settled, we must hurry!"

Sobbing, I let Jennifer and Shane take me through their escape route...a dusty tunnel with cobwebs all over the place. Exiting the tunnel, Shane opened a door. We were in a very large house with expensive furniture and carpeting. My heart stopped when I saw a huge painting of Stefano Dimera, the Phoenix ring prominent in the picture.

"Are we where I think we are?" I asked.

"Yes, the Dimera mansion. Apparently, Tony had a whole separate secret hideaway set up underground. He probably took a cue from his father with that score. We managed to find you by going through one of those secret tunnels that Stefano was so fond of. All of this time, Tony Dimera had been right under our noses!"

We proceeded to enter another room, working our way through another passageway until we made our way out into the daylight. I covered my eyes in pain at the bright sunshine, having been indoors for so long.

Once we were safely in Shane's car, we all were to convene at Bo Brady's house.

"Bo Brady?" I asked, stunned. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Well, this was more than just a rescue attempt, Leigh," Shane explained. "Actually, this was an entire sting operation with a lot of elaborate planning involved."

"A sting operation?" I asked dumbly.

"Yes, while Jennifer and I were retrieving you from the kitchen...Bo, Roman and Abe were arresting Tony. He's probably being dragged to prison as we speak."

"OH, MY GOD!!!" I cried out, completely losing it. "NO!!!"

"There's no need to panic. We have several charges against him that will stick. Escape from prison and kidnapping for starters..."

I covered my mouth, feeling sick.

Jennifer was sitting in the back seat. She patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"He won't be able to get at you, Leigh," she said. "Please. You have to calm down..."

"What about EJ Wells?" I asked frantically. "You arrested him and you have a confession, right? So Tony won't be held long, right?"

"Well, Leigh, that isn't entirely…the case…"

Oblivious to Jennifer's attempts to comfort me, I railed at Shane hysterically.

"YOU LIED TO ME!!!" I yelled. "YOU LIED!!!"

"Leigh, I had to do what was necessary to make you cooperate!" Shane cried out, defending himself. "It was too dangerous for you to remain down there under the circumstances. Tony Dimera was under arrest. Who knows how many goons might have come out from the corners with guns blazing? You could have been killed if I had let you stay down there."

I was too riled up to listen.

"All along you lied!" I continued. "You lied and Jack lied! You were just supposed to help me get out of there, not…" My mind spun in a panic. "You don't know what you're doing! God, if I had known you were going to do something this insane, I never would have agreed to..."

"Leigh, this is more than just about what happened to you!" Shane explained. "The man put this town through hell a few years ago. He should be locked up so he won't hurt anyone again..."

"But that wasn't him!" I pleaded. "That was Andre! Tony was a victim just like everyone else! Maybe he suffered the most as he was nearly really killed by that tiger!"

"Is that what he told you? And you believe him?"

"You'll see, Shane! He has scars, real scars all over...from the tiger attack."

"That could have just been more tricks, plastic surgery and such…"

"No! You must listen to me! Stefano and Andre were the ones who framed John Black in Aremid! And then EJ grew up and joined them, working on the Melaswen plot! And Tony was just a pawn...just like John Black and Roman Brady and Steve Johnson and all the rest. They stole his memories and implanted them in Andre! He's been a victim of Stefano for years! And now, you're putting him away in jail for the rest of his life...for things he didn't do!"

"That's always Tony's stock excuse!" Shane tried to explain, his patience wearing thin. "Leigh, perhaps if you had actually lived here in Salem, you would realize that this is just another pattern of his. It's always good old Cousin Andre's fault. But that chestnut of an excuse won't wash this time. Look, the evidence we discovered at Aremid does not dismiss the fact that Tony Dimera is a criminal! Do you think it was a coincidence that you disappeared right after the jail break? He kidnapped you and held you as a prisoner down in that hideaway for the entire last month. Perhaps before...I might have given him the benefit of the doubt, but after doing what he did to you...!"

"HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO ME!" I yelled. "HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING EXCEPT..."

Except love me...

I began to sob hysterically, overcome with guilt and grief at what I had set in motion.

"Leigh, just calm down..." Jennifer begged. From the sound of her voice, she also seemed to be getting upset. "Please...Shane, let's just not talk about this anymore...OK?"

As we continued to drive in silence to Bo Brady's house, all I could think of was the man that I had left behind. The man who had proposed to me, who had said he loved me, who had changed me forever...

How ironic. I had finally managed to exorcise one spirit...only to be haunted by another one...


	17. Monsters

**Ch. 17 – Monsters**

During my disappearance, a major event had occurred.

The big news was that John Black had finally arisen from his coma, confirming that EJ Wells was the man who shot him. Apparently in damage control mode, EJ quickly skipped town and hadn't been seen since. The celebration of Black's recovery had been fairly low-key however. Salem was still reeling from the recently discovered death of David Banning.

I found myself somewhat of a notorious figure in Salem now. How I was perceived depended upon who was asked. Was I the smart adventurous reporter who exposed hidden secrets of Aremid? Was I the brainwashed prisoner of Tony Dimera, kidnapped and abused for an entire month? Was I the secret Dimera no one had ever known about who looked just like Renee…someone who possibly could become just as evil as her diabolical relatives?

Everywhere I went, there were stares and whispers about me. I could feel the stares of suspicion and fear burning into me as I would pass by. And always, I was looking over my shoulder, terrified that EJ would somehow manage to kill me. The Salem PD, Shane, Jack and Jennifer...all of them acted as if the danger was over now and that I was simply traumatized and paranoid.

I knew that I should just escape this crazy weird town and go back to London…away from all of the accusations and fear of Salem. As it was, I had lingered in this town for two months now. But I wasn't ready to go back yet. I had a million excuses why I didn't want to go. After my abduction, I was too tired to travel. I was afraid to go back to my ransacked flat. I just wanted a little time off and a vacation. The truth lay with the man imprisoned in the Salem jail. Regardless of danger, I simply felt that I could not leave, not yet…

As it was, I remained in my lonely room at the Salem Inn, sometimes too fearful to sleep, a vial of pepper spray constantly within reach inside the nightstand drawer…

Having worked on the investigation of my disappearance in Salem, Jack and Jennifer Deveraux had both decided to stay in the city for a while. Jack, having acquired full ownership of the Salem Spectator, was attempting to make some improvements on the paper with personnel, overhead and such. Jennifer was spending a lot of time with her daughter, Abby. Apparently, the precocious teenager was getting mixed up with the wrong kind of guy.

But something was not right between Jack and Jennifer...

One bright summer day, I met Jack for coffee at the Java Café in private, asking him what in the world was going on between the two of them. At first, he tried to stonewall me with the customary jokes and flippancy. But eventually I got it out of him.

"Oh, it has to do with all of this Dimera business..."

"Tony?"

I was surprised at how it still hurt to say his name.

I couldn't seem to stop thinking about Tony and missing him. Sometimes, I thought about going to visit him at the Salem jail. But I could visualize him across from me, talking into a phone with lots of bars and windows between us, wearing a tacky orange jumpsuit…with plenty of contempt and pain in his eyes at my betrayal. And I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

Jack shook his head bitterly.

"Jennifer is just putting me through the wringer with my whole involvement...with my chasing after you in Aremid and going undercover to help you get away from Tony. She's says I get too wrapped up in my stories, that I'm endangering her life and Abigail's and Jack, Jr.'s"

"But...Jack, you were doing it to help me out!" I exclaimed. "Jennifer's my friend. She should understand that. And she was undercover there too..."

He sighed in frustration.

"Well, that's how Jennifer gets," he shrugged. "I don't care what she says. I know that she loves news reporting and the rush of adventure as much as I do! But whenever things get hairy, she threatens to go run off with one of her ex-boyfriends! I suppose she's been so traumatized so many times by all of my 'fake' deaths that she just doesn't want me to do anything risky at all. The whole 'No-Dimera-Story policy' at the London Spectator was her brainchild. But the David Banner murder was a big news story, Leigh! And then Tony had escaped from prison. I couldn't just turn my back from all of that. What kind of a newsman would I have been if I had?"

"Jack, I got you into this..." I said firmly, taking a sip of my cappuccino. "I'll get you out of it. Let me talk some sense into Jennifer."

"Oh, it won't do any good!" Jack railed, waving his hand. "She's off on a tangent now and there's no knowing when she'll see reason. And now there's this whole new angle on the Dimera story and..."

"What new angle?"

Jack looked rather sheepishly at me, realizing he had let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

"Jack..." I looked into his eyes searchingly. "You know something about Tony, don't you? Please tell me..."

He pushed his chair back, shaking his head in the negative.

"I promised Jennifer that I wouldn't say anything to you about it. She didn't want you upset."

"Damn it, Jack!" I cursed, banging my fist on the small café table, nearly spilling both my cappuccino and his coffee. "Everyone acts like I'm some sort of fragile doll, about to break down at any moment. No one will tell me anything at all! And this was my story to begin with! I have a right to know what's going on!"

"Leigh, I'm in enough hot water with Jennifer as it is..." he pleaded.

"I'm an investigative reporter, Jack..." I started, hell-bent to get this out of him. "And I'm one of the best because I've been taught by one of the best."

"Well, I can't argue with that..." he smiled, considering his own greatness.

"You know that I'm not going to stop until I find out what's going on. Wouldn't it be a lot safer and easier for everyone if you just spill it now?"

"I've created a monster..." Jack exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

"Too bad for you! You lied to me about the sting operation, Jack Deveraux…and you're lucky that I'm even still speaking to you! Now 'fess up and tell me what's going on!"

"Okay…okay…" he said, sipping his coffee. "You don't have to stone me to death, jeez! Apparently Tony Dimera's got a lot of high-end attorneys working on getting him out of prison. It seems he has been stockpiling tons of evidence against EJ Wells in connection with the Melaswen crimes. There's also some stuff on Andre Dimera too. Well, that story is starting to leak out now. He has some pretty solid evidence, airtight stuff that is impossible to be faked or disputed. It's just a matter of credibility for him more than anything else. The people in this town have been so through the mill with him that no one is giving him the benefit of the doubt. Even so, there's a strong possibility that he might get out of jail."

"That's great!" I cried out, enthusiastically bouncing up and down. "That's fantastic!"

Jack grimaced at the sight of me.

"Leigh, what do you see in that...vampire?! I just don't get it! And he's your uncle!"

"He's not!" I exclaimed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you if you'd only listen to me. He's been protecting Anna Dimera for years by pretending to be a real Dimera. That's how EJ found out about me."

Jack set his mouth grimly.

"Leigh, have you ever considered that he was lying to you about that?"

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"You look like Renee. He wanted you. And he took advantage of you by stringing you along with lies."

"No..."

I thought about it for a few nauseating seconds, but couldn't stand it.

"No, Tony couldn't be that horrible..."

"Stefano Dimera was that horrible."

I shook my head.

"Maybe so, but not Tony."

"And, Leigh, my real father was a man that horrible," Jack rebutted with haunted eyes. "Duke Johnson. He raped his own daughter, my sister Adrienne."

"God, Jack!" I gasped. "I'm sorry! I had no idea..."

"Well, it's not a story that I'm very proud to talk about. My point is there are monsters like that in the world, Leigh. Sometimes where we least expect them. Even I was…once..." And then he shook his head, not willing to go down the dark path that his mind was going. "Have you ever considered that Tony Dimera might indeed be one of those monsters?"

The thought made me sick.

I shook my head.

"No...Jack, no! Tony has not always been the nicest guy in the world, but he wouldn't do that to me."

Jack bowed his head, not willing to say anything.

"Wait a minute…is that what everyone thinks? That Tony deceived me into committing incest? Is that why everyone is treating me like such a freak?"

"That's probably part of it..." Jack acknowledged with a nod. "When he was arrested, the man was wearing nothing but his birthday suit. There was clothing strewn all around the floor, both male and female. The sheets had all been messed up. There was spilled champagne all over the floor. Then you were rescued, completely out of your mind and in hysterics. Well, that sort of stuff causes talk…speculations. And remember, I was there, Leigh. I saw how he was coming on to you, planning his quote-unquote special evening. And if you want, it's not too late to press charges."

"For what?"

Jack couldn't seem to say the word.

"For rape?!" I asked. "No! That didn't happen, Jack. Sure, people are going to believe the worst. We sell news for a living. We both know how people love to eat that sort of garbage up. But he didn't rape me. And he didn't lie to me either. You just said so yourself. The evidence he submitted is checking out."

"Apparently. Anyway, this is news I should be reporting about. But Jennifer doesn't want me to touch the stuff."

Suddenly, I had the most brilliant idea.

"Jack!"

"What?" Looking up at me, Jack instantly became wary. "I don't like that look in your eye, Leigh. No! Whatever it is you want from me, the answer is no!"

"Let me do the story, Jack."

"No way! You're too close to it. And you've been through too much as it is."

"What do you mean?" I insisted. "That's what will make it sell. An up-close-and-personal story about Tony Dimera. Just like Jennifer's Alamainia story about Lawrence Alamain! Remember?"

Jack flinched with the memories.

"Leigh, trust me, I'll never forget Alamainia as long as I live…and I'm never going to agree to letting you do this story as long as I live. Not at the London Spectator. Not at the Salem Spectator. Not at any newspaper in the country! You are not doing this story!"

But the ideas were hot and popping now. I was a woman with a mission!

"I've got to go, Jack. See you!"

"Hey, wait. Where are you...?"

-----------------------------------------------------

At three a.m., I was typing manically at my laptop computer in my room at the Salem Inn. It felt so good to actually be able to do something about this whole mess. I felt so guilty and responsible for Tony's incarceration. He had saved my life. I truly believed that now. The least I could do was try to help him obtain his freedom. It would not make up for all of the pain I had caused him…but at least I might be able to live with myself and breathe again.

With a deep breath, I reviewed what I had written so far.

_For a quarter of the century, the Dimera crime family has prevailed in terror and crime with Salem as its base of operations. Time and again, the world has been shaken by events inspired by the legendary crimepin, Stefano Dimera – the immortal Phoenix rising from the ashes. Serial killing sprees, mysterious islands and plantations hidden from the world and even experiences with the occult have all been tied to this notorious family._

_And what of Stefano Dimera's alleged son, Count Antony Dimera? _

_Who is this man that has become almost as mythical as his father by reputation? A devil-may-care playboy, haunting the casinos in Monte Carlo with a woman on each arm? A wealthy benefactor who has contributed millions of dollars to corporations and charities, helping to build Salem into the metropolis that it is today? Or a psychopathic madman, following in the footsteps of his infamous father?_

_I can only report what I saw and heard for myself during my stay in the hidden bunker lying far beneath the Dimera mansion in Salem. After my part in cracking the David Banning murder case, I was on the run for my life. And Tony Dimera proved to be my protector and friend..._

_---------------------------------------------------------_

"Thank you for your interest in my story, Mr. Kiriakis," I said with my most flirtatious smile. "I know you must be a very busy man and I am flattered that you like my story."

Victor Kiriakis, both millionaire and owner of _Titan Publishing_, returned my smile with a charm all his own. I entered the huge boardroom. There was a large sprawling window, revealing a panoramic view of all of Salem. Everything reeked of power and money.

"Well, thank you for coming by to see me today, Miss Daniels."

"Please..." I said, extending my hand. "Call me Leigh."

"Leigh," he nodded pleasantly, leaning back in his large brown leather chair. "I have to be honest with you, Leigh. This story is absolute dynamite! You are big news in Salem these days as is Tony Dimera. I'm sure you know that. And you are a writer of great talent and warmth. I can't say enough good things about it...but I also can not possibly have it printed in any of our magazines."

"But...but..." I sputtered.

"But I wanted to let you know in person how much I admire you for your spunk and courage in writing this sort of a piece."

All of my hopes were sinking like the Titanic. Victor Kiriakis was really my only chance of making the kind of impact I needed to with this story.

"I don't understand..." I said, not willing to simply give up on this. "Mr. Kiriakis..."

"Call me Victor, please..." Victor shook his head. "I understand your disappointment, Leigh, and I'm sorry to have to be the one to say no to you. But I'll let you in on a little secret understanding that has gone on between the Kiriakis family and the Dimera family for some time now. They stay out of our business...and we stay out of theirs."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Victor, weren't you one of the victims kidnapped on Melaswen Island? I hardly think that you were out of the Dimera business that time. You were up to your neck in danger as I understand it. And then you were held captive in a castle for some time after that, presumed dead. Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to see the real mastermind of the plot brought to justice?"

Victor shrugged nonchalantly.

"I am not convinced that Tony Dimera was an innocent in what happened back then. Your story is compelling but hardly conducive with all of the facts."

I was taken aback by his statement.

"What about the stuff coming to light now?" I insisted. "Surely you know about Tony Dimera's evidence..."

"Of course I know about it, Leigh. I know about everything that goes on in Salem."

"With all due respect, Mr. Kiriakis, this is a hot seller. You really shouldn't turn this kind of an opportunity down. This is exactly the time when an article like this should be written."

I even decided to stir things up with a little bit of dishonesty.

"And believe me, I've had reporters knocking on my door, clamoring to interview me about my experience. But I chose to come to you because I have such respect for your company and publications."

"With all due respect, Leigh, bull!" Kiriakis smiled at me sadistically. "There's no need to butter me up. I hear this kind of garbage every day nonstop."

Having given up on salesmanship, I resorted to trying a guilt trip on him.

"Do you really want to see an innocent man locked up in prison the rest of his days?"

"Tony Dimera's a big boy," he scoffed. "I'm sure he can fight his own battles."

I strained my brain, trying to come up with some way to hook the guy in.

Victor Kiriakis was a man with everything. What could I possibly do to change his mind...short of prostituting myself? And somehow I doubted even that would work with this cold man with the crocodile-like smile.

There was one item that came to mind. It was a long shot, but I had nothing to lose.

"I hear your son, Phillip, is in dire straits these days. How is he doing with his battles?"

"Phillip?" he asked in surprise, eyebrows raised. "Why do you bring him up?"

"I'm a journalist, Mr. Kiriakis," I shrugged. "I hear things on the street. Right now, your son is not very popular with the residents of Salem. It seems a lot of people consider him heartless, arrogant, temperamental and spoiled rotten. A lot of the public sympathy lies with Shawn Brady and Belle Black right now in regards to the kidnapping of that little baby girl."

"I don't see how insulting my son is going to aid your cause!" Victor hissed.

"Oh, but it's not my opinion of Phillip, Victor," I said, feigning innocence. "It's just what I hear out in the public arena. I personally think that your son is a caring father and a brave war veteran who has made sacrifices for his country. He deserves to be regarded with a little more sympathy and respect after all he's been through. I'm sure if public opinion was swayed, it could only help his case, provided that Claire Kiriakis is found again. I'd be happy to write an article on his behalf, perhaps even do an interview telling his side of the story. It would be my pleasure...provided that..."

"Provided that I publish your story about Tony Dimera..." Victor smirked.

"You've read my mind, Mr. Kiriakis," I said sweetly.

"That wouldn't make you many friends in Salem, Leigh," he warned. "In fact, it could make you a lot of enemies."

"In my experience, there are usually two sides to every story. I prefer to be on the side that is to my advantage. Usually whichever way I choose, I can sell it. I could sell Phillip Kiriakis as a hero to the public in no time at all. And as for the enemies, I'll take my chances."

Victor perused me intently.

"You truly are a Dimera, aren't you?" he said with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"So I've been told."

"You have a deal."

I was so excited I could skip!

"You mean you'll publish my story?"

"Of course, I'll publish your story," Victor chuckled. "My abduction by that maniac cost me a lot, both financially and emotionally! Don't you think I want the real mastermind caught?"

"But you said that..."

"I was only testing you," he grinned. "Testing your mettle and determination. To see if you had any guts."

"Wow. Well, did I pass?"

"With flying colors. So much so that I would like to offer you a job."

"Excuse me?"

"How would you be interested in writing a column, Leigh, for a new magazine I'm starting up? _Salem Monthly_. In fact, I believe we could squeeze the Tony Dimera story in the premiere issue and start things up with a real bang."

"Oh..." I truly had not been expecting this. "Well, I'm flattered, Victor. But I've been planning on going back to London eventually."

"Whatever Deveraux's paying you, I'll double it. But of course, it would mean a relocation to Salem."

That would be a sweet deal. Even Jack would call me a fool for turning it down…

"Do I have time to think it over?"

"Of course."

I stood up from my seat, shaking his hand.

"But we're still on for my article, right?"

"Absolutely."

"When should I give Phillip a call?"

"Don't worry about it," Victor waved with a hand. "I've got a PR person who handles him already."

As Victor ushered me out of my office, my heart was singing. Maybe things would turn around...at least, a little bit.


	18. Heroes

**Ch. 18 - Heroes**

_One month later…_

"Jack, please don't get so riled up!"

At the offices of the _Salem Spectator_, Jack was furiously throwing papers and pencils around, completely flipping out.

Grabbing the premiere issue of _Salem Monthly_, Jack thrust it in my face.

The cover page showed a candid photo of Tony in a tuxedo, looking very dashing with a cocktail glass in his hand.

**TONY DIMERA – HORROR OR HERO? An Exclusive by Leigh Daniels**

I couldn't help but beam with pride. The magazine looked marvelous, really grabbing attention with one glance. I had to hand it to Victor Kiriakis. He also knew how to sell a story when he wanted to. And as I understood it, the magazine was selling like hotcakes. The story was even being reported about on the local television news stations. Word was getting around that perhaps Tony Dimera was not the villain that everyone thought…that perhaps there was more to the history of the Dimeras than what met the eye.

"Working for Victor Kiriakis now, are we?" Jack started, cold fire in his blue eyes. "Do you realize you violated your contract with the London Spectator? I could sue you for this! It is bad enough that with your help, a notorious terrorist is now out of jail, probably planning out his next psychopathic scenario! Not only that! But working with Victor Kiriakis! That man is scum! What is with your attraction to all of these bad guys and criminals? You really need to see a therapist or..."

"Jack, I asked you first. Remember? You said no. So I went to someone who would help me."

"Right! Victor Kiriakis of all people! And he never does something for nothing. What's in it for him?"

"Well, Victor wants me to be a columnist for his new magazine."

"WHAT?!" Jack's eyes were bugging out of his head. "You're leaving me?! FOR HIM!"

"I haven't said yes or no either way," I shrugged. "But he's already agreed to double what you're paying me."

"That villain!" Jack snarled, out of his mind. "That dirty rotten..."

There was an uproar outside of Jack's office, but we were so into our argument that we weren't paying much attention to what was going on.

"Wait..." One of the secretaries cried out. "You can't go in there..."

With a slam of the door, we both turned...to find Tony Dimera in our office.

And my heart stopped...

"Sorry, Mr. Deveraux," Judy, the secretary, cried out. "I tried to stop him, but he..."

"Don't explain." Jack waved her away.

This was the first time I had seen Tony Dimera since I had left him alone in his bedroom that wonderful horrible day, after he had just said that he loved me. Immaculate and handsome as ever, he was wearing a gray pin-striped business suit, looking very elegant and well-groomed for a man who had just left prison.

I wanted to run right into his arms. It was almost as if we had never been apart.

Almost…

The difference was that Tony Dimera was staring daggers at me. If looks could kill, I would most definitely be a very cold corpse right now.

"Jack Deveraux," Tony nodded politely at Jack, all the while gazing upon me with fury. "Miss Daniels."

"I don't believe we have an appointment, Tony..." Jack said. "Did we? Hmmm?" He started flipping through his appointment book. "Any appointments with escaped convicts here? Any masterminds or murderers? No, no, I don't think so..."

Tony rolled his eyes with contempt at Jack's attempt at humor.

"I am actually here to speak with Miss Daniels. I was told that she could be found here."

Jack stopped joking around and looked serious. In fact, he looked pretty ticked off.

"I think you've done enough to her, don't you think? Now please leave my office."

"Jack, please..." I begged.

"Don't test me, Deveraux."

The threat was quietly said but lethal, nonetheless.

"To get to Leigh, you'll have to go through me first!" Jack warned, stepping between us. "And I'll have you know that you're not the only world class fencing champion in this room!"

"Stop it, Jack..." I pleaded, putting a hand on his arm. "I would like to speak to Tony. Alone."

"Leigh, don't do this..." Jack begged, genuinely worried about me.

I smiled at his concern.

"Jack, this really doesn't involve you. And I'm a big girl now. I think I can handle this."

Sighing with frustration, Jack knew that my mind was made up. Shaking his head, he pointed towards the door.

"Fine…but take it outside. I don't want to have to pay to clean bloodstains out of the carpet."

Tony and I rushed along the corridors of the Salem Spectator, trying to avoid all of the media attention everywhere, which was difficult to do since we were actually in a newspaper office. Grabbing me roughly by the arm, he quickly darted into an empty office and closed the door behind us.

"Ouch!" I cried out. "You're hurting me!"

I rubbed my arm, sure his grip was going to leave a nasty bruise.

Tony ignored my protests.

"What was the meaning of that trash you wrote about me?" he hissed. I had never seen him so angry before.

"It's nice to see you again too..." I retorted, wresting away from him.

Tony grabbed me by the shoulders threateningly.

"I am not in a very good humor today, Miss Daniels. Jail has a way of upsetting a person!"

"That 'trash' as you so charmingly put it was the story I wrote to help you get free!" At first, Tony had scared me with his mafioso tactics. But now I was so hurt and insulted that I was oblivious to his tough guy act. "And now I see you're out of jail. That's great! And please, no need to thank me for it or anything!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" he snarled.

"Well, I never asked for your help either!" I sniped back. "But I got it anyway, didn't I?"

"And why on earth should I thank you for anything? When you were the one responsible for putting me in prison in the first place!"

OK, that one really hurt...

"Tony, I never meant for that to happen. Really, I didn't..."

"The hell you didn't!" he swore, practically breathing fire like a dragon. "You think I'm a fool? You think I didn't know about your stupid little e-mail and that idiot Deveraux trespassing in my home with that ridiculous disguise? Oh, I was on to you, my darling, all along…right from the start!"

I gasped in shock.

"So let me get this straight," I started, my voice shaky with anger. "You proposed marriage to me...knowing that I had just seen Jack…knowing that I was going to leave? So what was the point of that? Were you just trying to torture me and make me feel guilty? How could you be so vile!"

"I'M VILE?" Tony ranted. "I'M VILE?! What about you, you little hypocrite, coming to my bedroom that night, half-dressed, seducing me…only for me to wake up naked in my bed and find three of Salem's Finest there to arrest me!"

"It wasn't that way at all!"

"The hell it wasn't! And then I get out of jail to find that you are a big star reporter now, working for Victor Kiriakis, capitalizing off of my misfortunes!"

"I did that for you!"

"Did you?" he snarled. "Did you really? Or is it that there is no level that you wouldn't stoop to further your career? You'd do anything to get your name under a big juicy cover story, wouldn't you…even by way of lying undressed and flat on your back!"

I slapped him, the echo of the crack resounding along the office room walls.

Tony grabbed my arm violently and reached to grip my face with his free hand.

"You are going to be very sorry you did that…"

The tone of his voice was quiet, lethally so.

"You have betrayed me in a manner which I find unforgivable. And when I'm though with you, you'll be sorry you were ever born."

"TONY DIMERA!!!"

Jennifer Deveraux stormed into the room, opening the door with a loud crash. She rushed between us and pulled us apart. If I hadn't been so upset, I would have laughed at the sight of her. Most of the time, she resembled a life-size Barbie doll, but now she looked like she could have torn apart Tony with her bare hands.

"This is NOT one of your boardrooms, Tony Dimera! And this is NOT your fancy mansion! You are in MY offices now, manhandling MY employee! And I want you out of here before I sue your sorry butt!"

Tony ignored Jennifer as if she were just a bothersome gnat.

"No one crosses me without paying a price..." He pointed at me threateningly. "And you will pay dearly!"

"Do I have to call security, Tony?" Jennifer asked. "That's not a threat. It's a promise…if you don't leave pronto!"

He did not bother to answer her, but simply stormed out of the room.

And my heart felt like it was shattered in a million pieces.

-------------------------------------------

"Leigh, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Jennifer, for the thousandth time..."

Physically, I was okay. Emotionally, I felt like driving off the nearest cliff.

We were sitting in the Salem Pub, attempting to calm down over lunch. But I really couldn't eat anything, especially while Jennifer kept ranting and raving about Tony's behavior at the Salem Spectator.

"The nerve of that creep!" she huffed. "Being abusive to you the minute he gets out of jail! And after you wrote that article which practically unlocked the prison doors for him! Now do you see what kind of a man he is?"

I shook my head in denial.

"He's just angry with me, Jennifer. I hurt him a lot. I didn't mean to…but I did…"

"You hurt him?!" she asked incredulously. "You hurt him? That article got him out of prison. He should be kneeling down and kissing your feet after all that you've done."

I repressed a naughty smile. The image of Tony kissing my feet did have its merits…

"And no matter how angry he is, he had no right to treat you the way he did! He looked as if he were going to kill you! You shouldn't just sit back and take that, Leigh! What if he really gets violent with you one day?"

I shook my head.

"Tony wouldn't do that to me."

"Leigh, I don't understand how you can be so calm about this!" Jennifer went on. "You have all of the symptoms of a classic battered wife. You should press charges. I'll back you up as a witness if you want. Maybe you can get a restraining order against him or..."

"Jennifer, I was the only one who was violent!" I protested, choosing to ignore the bruise on my arm. "I was the one who had slapped him! And I'm not too proud of my behavior over that either."

"Well, I'm sure he deserved it," Jennifer exclaimed, anxious to defend me. "He probably said something so despicable that you couldn't help yourself."

"Well, yes…"

Tony's accusations that I had slept with him just as a means of furthering my career really stabbed at me. Even though Renee had goaded me into going through with the seduction, that night had meant so much to me. I couldn't even stay angry at my ghost and her interference because I had felt so changed and so happy, even if only for a few hours. And to hear him talk about our night of lovemaking in such a cheap way…after everything else that had happened…

I swallowed back tears of pain.

"Maybe we should go to the police station and talk to Roman…" Jennifer suggested.

"No…" I shook my head stubbornly. "I just worked my butt off getting Tony out of jail. I don't want him right back in there again. As it is, I'm at least glad to know that he got out of there in one piece. With all of the stories you hear about the kind of stuff that goes on in prisons, well…I was worried sick about him."

Jennifer stared at me, stunned.

"After the way he threatened you today, I don't understand how you can talk this way."

"I love him, Jennifer," I confessed. "If only I could make you understand."

"I guess I just don't understand. For me, the Dimeras are pure evil. Except for you, of course."

"Well, you've suffered a lot," I nodded. "Jack has suffered. Abby has suffered. Everyone has suffered a lot. But Tony suffered too."

"Well, it does seem that in the eyes of the law, Tony Dimera is innocent of what happened to us out there on that island," Jennifer admitted albeit grudgingly. "I guess all the hell Jack and I went through was because of EJ and Andre. If you can believe him..."

"I do believe him, Jennifer," I said, looking up at her. "And that's what he needs so badly is for someone to believe in him. He hasn't had that in so long."

"He hasn't done a lot around here to inspire that kind of belief…"

"Well, he's messed up, Jennifer! Look at how he grew up. With Stefano Dimera as a father, that would mess anyone up! But everyone in this town is so judgmental of him. If he tries to be a nice guy and give to charity, people say he has ulterior motives. If he isn't Mr. Nice Guy, everyone says he's just like his father. How can he win?"

Jennifer bowed her head silently, speechless.

"When I think of what Stefano put him through over the years, it just breaks my heart! When Tony was younger, he did have people who used to really love him and believe in him…Daphne and Renee and Anna. And Stefano managed to destroy every one of those relationships, often tragically so. And now, Tony wants so much to break free of his father. And no one is letting him do that."

I sighed with remorse.

"Well, maybe it's not too late for Tony and Anna now. He protected her for all of those years. And she still loves him. I could see that."

"You don't really want him to go to her…" Jennifer said. "Do you?"

"No..." I admitted, afraid I was going to completely lose it. "But I want Tony to be happy. I want him to have peace."

"You may be right," Jennifer nodded with acknowledgment. "Maybe everyone has been too close-minded about Tony Dimera. But, Leigh, I hate seeing you this way. I remember how you used to be in London, all full of spit and vinegar, dashing around to get the latest scoop of a story. And now, you seem so sad all of the time…"

"Well, these have just been tough times. But I wouldn't trade my days with Tony for the world…"

"Really?"

"Jennifer, I had no idea what it felt like to really be in love until I met Tony. I really didn't think I was the sort of person capable of being in love…not really. I was just going through the motions before. And then he came along. Jennifer, if only you could see how sweet and understanding he can be…when we're alone and no one is bothering us…"

"Tony Dimera? Sweet? Are we talking about the same man?"

"When we were together in that compound, he was my protector and my friend. I think I saw a side of his personality that no one has seen for a long time. Jennifer, Vern told me some stories about how it was between you and Jack when you first met. Surely you must have some idea of what I'm talking about."

Her eyes misted up with tears at my words.

"I didn't mean to upset you," I said hurriedly.

"No," she shook her head. "You didn't upset me. You just reminded me about how things used to be between us. I used to feel exactly that way about Jack. Everyone told me how bad for me he was. And I wouldn't listen. I always stuck to my convictions and..."

"And then you married him?"

She nodded slowly.

"And I've had some of the best years of my life with Jack. And we were blessed with the sweetest little girl in the world. I wouldn't trade those days for anything…"

"Jack's a good guy, Jennifer," I said. "He saved my life in Aremid. And he stood up for me against both EJ and Tony. You may not see it…but he really is a hero."

"Jack?" she asked doubtfully.

"Sure. Every bit as much a hero as John Black or Bo Brady. He puts his life down on the line with these news stories...because he values his job and believes in what he does. That's the same as a policeman or a fireman. If we didn't have guys like him, we wouldn't know half the stuff that's going on in the world. What if there weren't any reporters in Iraq or...?"

"Leigh, I'm sure you mean well," Jennifer answered with a tolerant smile. "But I think Jack usually just gets in trouble because he feels like he has to live up to how great he thinks he is..."

I shook my head.

"Jennifer, can't you see past all of that? There was a time when you could. Jack's a reporter. Of course, he's going to get in scrapes some times. But that's the guy you fell in love with, remember?"

She nodded, sniffling a bit.

"I guess you're right."

"Jack told me a little bit about the trouble going on between you two. I wish you wouldn't get mad at him on my account. He never wanted me to get involved with Aremid in the first place."

"I'll talk to him," she said.

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"Great."

"I'll also talk to Tony Dimera."

"What? No!"

"Yes," she nodded, determined. "I'm going to talk to Tony Dimera and tell him that you're the best thing that ever happened to him! And that he really needs to stop being such a jerk!"

"No..." I begged her. "I appreciate it, Jennifer. Really, you're a great friend. But I don't think he's going to listen to you. He'll just snarl at you and get you all upset."

And then I shook my head sadly, contemplating the horrible fight we had just had.

"Besides, we probably weren't meant to be together anyway."

"I'm not so sure about that..."

I was surprised to hear Jennifer's words, especially after all of the times I heard her go on about what a villain Tony was.

"Maybe you're just what he needs."


	19. One More Night

**Ch. 19 – One More Night**

How did I ever let Hope Brady talk me into this?

Sitting across from the handsome blond man at Tuscany, any other girl would have found herself extremely lucky to be on such a date. Eric Brady was a perfectly nice guy. He was amiable, handsome, generous, understanding…and he was boring me out of my skull.

With a forced smile on my face, I nodded at what he was saying, only halfway listening.

Hope and I had become fairly good friends since the night I showed up at her home in hysterics after my rescue. Sometimes, I would watch after little Ciara when Chelsea was unavailable to babysit. Other times, Hope and I would hit Salem Place and shop until we would drop.

It was on such an occasion that I managed to get into this mess.

At one of the local boutiques, I whirled around in a stunning green knit dress designed by Basic Black. I was not accustomed to wearing stuff like this. The skirt was very short, revealing a lot of leg. And yet, it seemed to be tasteful. There wasn't much to it, but what was there was very nice, hugging my curves and leaving just enough to the imagination. I almost didn't even recognize myself.

"Wow, that dress is sensational on you!" Hope exclaimed. "Turn around. Let me see!"

Feeling like a kid getting ready for the high school prom, I turned around for her with a giggle.

"Oh, Leigh…" Hope raved. "You have such a great figure. And that emerald green is just the right color for you. You should buy it!"

"No, I don't think so…"

"Why not?" she urged. "Hey, it's a little pricey but I bet it'll be a good investment."

I shrugged.

"Where would I wear it?"

"Gee…" Hope teased. "You're young. You're pretty. I don't know. Maybe you might want to go on a date sometime."

"I don't think any of the eligible men in Salem are exactly lining up to date the new Dimera freak in town."

Hope pointed at me with a beautifully manicured finger.

"Don't talk that way about yourself!"

"It's true, isn't it?"

I looked at my reflection thoughtfully. I did look nice. And for just a moment, I imagined what Tony might think of me in this dress. I could see us walking together, arm in arm, through Salem Park in the moonlight. It was amusing, thinking of us doing anything as pedestrian as dating.

Since our nasty fight at the Salem Spectator, I hadn't seen hide nor hair of Tony Dimera. How long had it been? A week? And I hated sitting around, hoping the phone at the Salem Inn would ring, hoping my cell phone would ring or hoping perhaps a naughty instant message would pop up when I was on-line. There were so many ways for him to get a hold of me that the silence was a form of torture.

"Well, it just so happens I think I might have the perfect guy for you…" Hope smiled. "My nephew, Eric Brady, is coming to town. He's a talented photographer and very nice…"

I listened to Hope's sales pitch. Against my better instincts, I agreed to go out on a blind date with him...and I spent a fortune on the green dress.

With some effort, I dragged my mind back to the present...and Tuscany...and my date...

Oh, this was brutal.

"I'm sorry, Eric…did you say something?"

"Um, yeah. What kind of music do you like?" he asked, trying to sound sincerely interested.

So the date reached this point, had it? Where we had to strain just to find anything in common to talk about at all?

"Well, I really like a lot of the old standards. Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter, Judy Garland…what about you?"

Eric smiled sheepishly.

"I'm a bit more into today, I guess. I like Eminem, Christina Aguilera, stuff like that…"

I nodded mechanically, fighting back a yawn.

Conversations with Tony had been so much easier and natural. We never had to work at it like this.

I sipped at my Diet Coke, wishing I had a nice strong martini. But Eric had ordered a 7-Up and I didn't want to seem like a lush on the first date.

"Uh oh…" Eric said abruptly.

"Is there a problem?"

He was looking beyond me at the bar.

"Don't look now but I think your stalker just showed up."

Turning slightly, I saw Tony Dimera standing at the bar. He was nursing a glass of red wine and staring straight at me. And he looked exquisitely handsome in a casual dark blue suit. When our eyes met, he smiled slightly with a promise in his eyes.

Quickly, I looked away, feeling all flushed. If he hated me, why was he looking at me like that? Was he excitedly anticipating his plans for making my life a living hell?

"Do you want to leave?" Eric offered.

"Don't worry about him," I shrugged. "I'm bound to run into him every once in a while. And I'm not going to hide every time. Besides, I have a feeling that he's not going to bother us."

"No, he's just going to hover over us the whole time staring…"

Suddenly, I became very self-conscious about how I looked.

I had spent a lot of time, preparing for this evening. I had pulled my hair back in elaborate braided do. I had bought some gold earrings and a necklace to go with the green dress. I had even bought an expensive pair of strappy heels that I couldn't afford. And I had spent most of the evening wondering why I had gone to so much effort. I certainly didn't care to make Eric Brady lust after me. Tony Dimera, however, was another matter. He always had been.

"So you were talking about your love of baseball?" I ventured, trying to change the subject. "What are your favorite teams?"

With a light in his eyes, Eric began to ramble on, naming a lot of different statistics and players. The truth was I could have cared less about baseball. I was just trying to stay calm. But I kept feeling those dark eyes burning into my back.

"I'm just going to go to the ladies' room, Eric," I said abruptly, interrupting a monologue about the New York Yankees. "Excuse me."

I made my way to the powder room, going the long way around the perimeter of Tuscany to get there in an effort to avoid running into Tony face to face. For a while, I simply spent time in the bathroom lounge in a comfortable chair, taking deep breaths in an effort to pull myself together. I needed time away from Eric's attempts at conversation. And most of all, I needed to be away from Tony. He was bad for me. A week ago, he made it clear he was out to hurt me. And every time I saw him, I wanted him. A dangerous combination.

When I left the bathroom, I was disappointed to see that Tony was no longer there at the bar.

Why should I care? I asked myself. Was I that anxious to be brutalized and insulted?

"Oh, Leigh…"

It was Maggie Horton, the owner of Tuscany. I met her several times through my various visits with Hope and Jennifer. She had always been very nice to me.

"Maggie, you look fabulous!" I said, smiling at her white chiffon dress which complimented her bright auburn hair.

"Oh, thanks, sweetie! There's a call for you on the house phone. Someone from Titan Publishing, I think…"

"Thanks."

That was odd, I thought. Why didn't they just call me on my cell?

"Hello?" I said into the house phone.

"Please meet me in the back area of Tuscany…where the gazebo is…"

The sound of Tony's voice made my heart race…but I sighed with misgivings. The last thing I wanted was another nasty fight.

"I apologize for being such a brute before," he said, sensing my doubts. "But we should really talk. It's very important."

I was torn with indecision, but decided it was best just to get it over with. It wasn't as if I could enjoy this night anyway, being constantly aware of his presence.

"Give me five minutes."

Making my excuses to Eric that I had a critical call from Victor Kiriakis, I said that I would just take the call in the lounge and be right back. And then I made my way to the back entrance of Tuscany…to the patio and gazebo.

Tony was standing alone in the Tuscany garden, a white gazebo in the background. In his dark blue suit, he could have been a fashion model, surrounded by all of the beautiful greenery with the evening sky above He seemed to be staring out at the early evening stars.

"Hi…" I said awkwardly, taking a few steps towards him.

He turned, looking at me coolly with a small smile.

"Hello."

My green dress was a success. Although he was trying not to let it show, I could sense him gazing at my body with his eyes approvingly. Mentally, I thanked Hope for her excellent fashion advice. Even though I shouldn't want Tony to want me...

"You wanted to talk to me?"

Tony went to a nearby bench by the gazebo and sat down, patting the seat next to him.

"Come sit down."

I swallowed nervously, frozen in place.

"Come on, Leigh, I won't bite you."

But what if I want you to? The naughty thought made me smile slightly.

"That's better," he soothed as I sat down next to him.

Tony seemed to be relaxed and casual. I wondered what had happened to produce this change in him since I had seen him last. Maybe just being out of prison for a while had helped improve his disposition.

"I received a call from your employer today?"

"Jack?"

"No. His better half."

Oh, I was going to throttle Jennifer the next time I saw her!

"I'm sorry about that," I pleaded. "Jennifer's been going through a hard time with her marriage. And she's just a little high-strung right now."

"Don't be sorry…" Tony answered. "We had a fairly civil conversation for once."

"Really?"

Tony nodded.

"I admit I find that Jennifer Deveraux can be insufferably prudish and sanctimonious at times," he admitted. "But during our conversation, I realized that there is another side to her. She can be quite empathetic and even wise…when she applies herself."

I nodded. That sounded like an accurate assessment of my friend.

Before I had a chance to ask what had been said, Tony continued.

"I also had a conversation with another champion of yours."

"Who?"

"Bart."

Just the sound of Bart's name made me smile. I had actually missed the big lunkhead!

"How's Bart doing?"

"Better now that he's out of jail."

My amusement faded. I didn't like Bart being in jail either, especially because of me.

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair as he shifted on the bench. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that he was nervous.

"I suppose I'll just come right out with it," he started. "He told me what you had said that day…to Shane Donovan."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. When had Bart and Shane been with me at the same time?

"What I said to Shane…?"

"Before you left."

Oh!

My mouth flew open as I recalled my frantic confessions of love for Tony.

"Bart wasn't anywhere around!"

"That's where you're wrong. Part of Donovan's plan was to subdue Bart. He was all tied up in a corner behind the pantry. And he heard everything. He heard Donovan lie to you about EJ. He heard Jennifer doing her best to convince you to go. And he heard you tell Donovan that you loved me…"

My heart was pounding so hard I felt as if I were running a marathon.

"Is it true, Leigh?"

I felt like a deer in the headlights, not knowing which way to turn.

"Would it matter?" I asked. "Because of my e-mail, you lost the lifestyle that you had wanted. You ended up in jail. And now you're back here in Salem, being booed and hissed at. I imagine you wish that you had never taken me in at all."

"Knowing you has cost me a high price…" he admitted with a gentle nod.

And then I felt his hand touch mine.

"But, Leigh, most precious things do come at a high price."

God, how did he always know just the thing to say to break through all of my defenses? After everything that happened, I should not want to have anything to do with him. I had seen firsthand how cruel he could be. Why couldn't I just have some common sense?

I looked down at his large hand covering my own. And then I slowly peered up at him…

He was going to kiss me. And I closed my eyes, waiting, hoping…to feel his mouth on mine...

"Leigh!"

As if someone had switched off a light switch, the vulnerability in Tony's face disappeared. He was again the hard and jaded cynic.

"Maggie Horton, how nice to see you again!" he announced with a fake smile.

Maggie coldly ignored him.

"I am sorry, folks, but this part of Tuscany is closed down for the evening. And, Leigh, Eric is asking where you have run off to. It's not nice to keep your date waiting around, dear…"

Tony took my arm, escorting me back inside the restaurant.

"Ah, Eric Brady!" Tony stated. "The perfect man for you. Respectable, the right age, sensible, safe…"

"Tony, please don't talk like that…"

Coolly, he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Have a nice time on your date, Leigh. Adieu."

As Tony walked away, I shook my head in confusion. How could the sun rise and fall so quickly?

------------------------------------------

As soon as I managed to get Eric to drop me off at the hotel, I rushed to my room and checked my messages. Nothing on my cell. Nothing in my e-mail. I even called the front desk.

"Are you sure no one has left a message for me?" I asked, harassing the desk clerk.

Nothing.

Dejectedly, I kicked off my shoes and sank upon the bed.

Like so many other nights, this one seemed to be going the same way. With me lonely and dreaming of Tony…willing to do anything if I could be with him again for just one more night…

The doorbell rang.

Quickly, I ran to the door and flung it open.

Tony was standing there with flowers.

"Tony!" I gasped. "What a surprise!"

"I apologize for coming at such a late hour," he said, shifting about distractedly. "I suppose you're wondering how I tracked you down…"

I wasn't going to bother to ask. I knew that if Tony wanted me, he would find me.

"It doesn't matter," I shrugged with a smile. "Orchids. How did you know I love orchids?"

"I didn't actually," he admitted sheepishly with a grin. "I just took a wild guess."

"They're my favorite flowers," I flirted, taking them from him. "At least, they are now. Let me just see…"

I searched around for a spare hotel room glass.

"I wish I had a lovely vase for them."

"Well, you needn't go to too much trouble. I just wanted to give them to you as a peace offering."

"They're lovely, Tony. Thank you."

Using a bathroom glass as a makeshift vase, I placed the orchids in it. As I leaned down to arrange them, I caught a glimpse of Tony staring at me in the mirror reflection. His expression was a tense one. He sort of swayed back and forth a bit in the doorway of the hotel room, as if he were torn as to whether he was going to stay or go.

"Well, it's late…" he said, nodding with conviction as if trying to convince himself of something. "And I have some meetings with my solicitors regarding the estate tomorrow morning. So I suppose I should say good night."

I felt horridly disappointed. Of all of the times for him to decide to be a gentleman!

"I just wanted to apologize once again," he continued. "And to say thank you for writing that article. I hope you will still consider being my friend."

"Tony…" I pleaded.

"Yes?"

He looked at my reflection in the mirror, his face drawn with indecision.

"You don't have to go…" I offered desperately. "…if you don't want to."

He closed his eyes, sighing with agony.

Turning, I went to meet him at the doorway, halfway running. Throwing my arms around him, I cried out as he clasped me just as tightly. We held each other as if we would never let each other go again.

"Tony, I love you…" I said, allowing the words that I had been fool enough not to say before to come rushing from my lips. "I love you so much…"

"And I love you…" he answered before kissing me again and again. "My sweet Leigh…"

Maybe because of all we had been through for the last two months, we were extremely gentle as we leaned against each other, just enjoying being together again. And then our kisses began to become more heated and intense…

Tony firmly pulled me away.

"Let's not rush this…" he suggested. "We have all night."

I held back a groan of frustration. Perhaps I was thinking a bit too chauvinistically, but I almost felt like I was the man and he was the woman. He wanted to cuddle and talk…while all I wanted to do was make love over and over and over…

"What a dreary room!" Tony groaned as he sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off his jacket and shoes and socks. He even had sexy feet, I noted.

"It's not so bad. The bed's pretty comfy."

Tony ignored my suggestive comment.

"What are your plans, Leigh?"

The question took me aback.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, are you going back to London? Are you working for Victor? What?"

"I guess I've been sort of at loose ends," I admitted. "I haven't accepted Victor's job offer. But I haven't particularly been motivated to go back to London either."

"What's holding you back?"

"You…" I offered, deciding that honesty was the best policy. "Tony, I've been so guilty and worried about you. The idea of you in that jail made me feel sick. You have to understand. When I sent that e-mail, that was before when I thought…"

"You thought I was your uncle," he nodded. "I know."

"And I wasn't afraid of you exactly. But I was afraid of myself and how I was feeling about you."

"I was an idiot…" Tony admitted. "I should have told you the truth as soon as we nearly kissed that night…with the tango."

"I don't know about that. I mean things were complicated, but…when Jack came, I thought the plan was simply for me to go. I had no idea that they were going to arrest you. I guess I should have seen it coming."

Tony shook his head.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," he said. "You're just a young girl. What do you know about subterfuge and trickery? I am the one who should have seen it coming. After all, these games have been going on all of my life. But all I could think about was you. When I discovered the e-mail and Jack, I was desperate not to lose you. I knew the timing of everything had been unfortunate. I thought perhaps I could change your mind. So I proposed. It was a rash thing to do…but I hoped that you'd stay. When you refused my offer of marriage, I was going to let you go."

"You were going to let me go?"

"Yes. But when you came to me that night, I thought that you were going to stay after all. That you had decided that you were going to marry me."

I was silent, dreading where this was going.

"Leigh, if you knew you were going to leave, why did you come to me that night?"

Now I was in a bind. There was no way I could explain Renee and her ghost. And I certainly couldn't tell him that she had been with us that first time, making me say her words. He'd think I was completely nuts.

"I'm sorry about that…" I said. "I knew it was wrong, but…"

I paused, trying to find a way to tell the truth without going into the supernatural part.

"I couldn't sleep," I admitted. "I tried to, but all I could do was dream about us being together. And I guess I just lost my head. I've wanted you for so long and so intensely…and I didn't want to go away without ever knowing what it would be like…to feel that way with you…and then afterwards, I didn't want to leave at all. That's why I told Shane to go away."

"Oh, my little cat…" Tony pulled me closely against him. "I've missed you so…"

Turning towards me, he leaned over and covered my face with kisses.

"Are we through talking now, Tony?" I asked hopefully, knowing I'd go mad if he said no.

"Yes, I believe so…" he grinned. "Now on to serious matters…"

He ran a finger along the hemline of my green dress, lightly grazing the bare flesh of my thigh.

"Just what do you think you're trying to do, flaunting yourself around Salem in a dress like this, you naughty temptress? Are you trying to start a riot?"

I bit my lower lip in anticipation.

"You like my new dress?"

"I love it," he purred. "So much so that I can't wait to get you out of it…"

And I felt the zipper on the back of the dress get pulled lower…and lower…


	20. Nightmares

**Ch. 20 - Nightmares**

Lying in the bed beside my lover, I felt so unbelievably happy and complete. Holding the white rose up to my lips, I kissed the delicate petals, taking in the deep fragrance. For the first time in my life, I truly felt at peace. No...I felt reborn.

_No man's ever going to make love to you again, do you know that? _Tony murmured as he sexily nuzzled my neck. _Just me._

_Tony, I love you..._I confessed. It seemed foolish to make such professions of love now, after all that we had just shared. But as always he understood, joining me in my amusement.

_I love you too._

A silly thought came to me…and I covered my mouth, giggling as I got up from the bed.

_You know what I just realized?_

_What?_

_That we have a whole house full of people downstairs...all just down there waiting..._

Tony and I both laughed like little kids at the thought of all of those people down there…and how shocked they would be if they knew what had just happened in this very room.

_I have an idea_...

_What?_ I asked.

_Why don't we give them what they came for? They came for an announcement. We'll give them another!_

_Oh, another one. What?_

_We'll give them an announcement of the up and coming marriage of Tony and Renee Dimera._

My heart stopped.

_Really? _I asked, gripping the bedpost anxiously. _Tony, you really do mean that?_

_Yes, I really do mean that. It will give this city the shock of their bloody lives!_

We both fell into another fit of laughter.

Had I ever felt so happy?

I gazed at the man in the bed who I adored. My mischievous friend who loved to shock me and surprise me…and he was now my lover. And he would soon be my husband. I still couldn't believe this was happening. Good things like this simply didn't happen to me.

_That would be wonderful! I'll get dressed. _

I hurried back towards the abandoned gown on the floor, halfway worried that I would wake up to find this only a dream.

Slipping on the black and silver gown, I was shocked at the image of the woman in the dressing room mirror. My hair was completely askew from my chignon, dark strands falling down upon my shoulders. There were tell-tale love bites on my bare neck. And my makeup was smudged…

_Oh, Tony, would you look at me? I'm a mess!_

Still shirtless, Tony put on his shoes and came up behind me, staring at the reflection of us together in the mirror.

_You look wonderful and you look thoroughly loved. _

He leaned down and kissed the back of my bare neck.

_And I have another wonderful idea._

_What is that?_

_Well, I've been saving this excellent most beautiful most precious rare bottle of Sauvignon only fit for kings and queens and future contessas._

_Oh, future contessas?_ I flirted as I put on an earring, gazing at my lover as he put on his shirt.

_Which you are. Now I'm going to go downstairs to the wine cellar and when you've repaired the damage I've done, we'll go downstairs and toast our future._

I rushed up to my feet, hurrying to his side. Smiling up at him, I ran my hands up and down his chest.

_Really? You really do mean that, Tony, to our future?_

_Yes, with all my heart. _

Tony kissed me once...and then again...and then he stopped or else we would end up right back on the bed again.

_Anyway, I'd better go dow_n, he said, respectably dressed.

_Yes..._

I yearned to tell him to hurry back. And I even thought of perhaps going down to the wine cellar with him. For some irrational reason, I did not want to be parted from my love...not now...

But there was a frantic knock on the door. For a moment, we simply glanced at each other anxiously.

Tony opened the door to reveal...my husband.

_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!_ Alex Marshall sniped...as if he had any right to tell me what to do!

I groaned with annoyance at the sight of the scumbag who used me and deceived me in an attempt to steal my inheritance.

_It's the irate husband! _Tony joked with a dramatic flair.

_Yes, irate! _Alex sniped. _What the hell is going on in here?_

_Well, what's happened is that actually she's found you out, Alex,_ Tony taunted.

_Yes, I did, Alex_, I added, unable to resist rubbing his nose in my victory. _And I also just found out that Tony still loves me._

Alex looked like he wanted to kill me...which was just fine because I wanted to kill him too!

_Tony doesn't want anything except your money, lady!_ Alex lectured, hands on his hips in outrage. _The same thing you're accusing me of! Exactly the same thing!_

_Oh, Alex, you could never convince her of that_. Tony rewarded me with a breathtaking smile before leaving the room. _I'll see you shortly, my love._

_I'll be there._

For a brief moment, I felt overcome by an irrational panic. I yearned to call Tony to back. What was the matter with me?

Alex Marshall proceeded to harass me, first pretending to be the outraged husband...and then claiming that he didn't know about my father's will...and then swearing that he would never let me have an annulment. Losing my patience, I picked up the gardening shears that Tony had left in the room, threatening to use them on the pig unless he left me alone.

For a while, I just sat in front of the mirror...feeling the lash of hard reality. It wasn't just Alex and his threats that upset me. I knew that I could handle that jerk. After all I had been through, he would be a piece of cake.

No. It was this dreadful feeling that love would not be enough to make things right. Tony and I would never get married. We would never have a future together. We would be parted forever...

What was wrong with me? I shook my head as I took a sip of champagne. Is this what Scarlett O'Hara would do...just give up because of a jerk like Alex Marshall?

Everything would be all right, I told myself. I had Tony back, the love of my life. I now had everything I ever wanted, money and love and power. The bad times were over. I just had to believe that.

I wished Marlena were here right now. She would sit calmly beside me, telling me the words I needed to hear. And I would be myself again. But she was downstairs, probably listening to all of the other guests gossiping about the spoiled bratty little Dimera heiress upstairs.

And so I waited...and worried...and waited...

There was a knock on the door.

_Well, did you miss me, my darling?_

I nearly cried with relief when Tony entered the bedroom with the bottle of wine.

_What took you so long?_ I pouted playfully, trying not to reveal all of my insecurities and fears to him.

_Well, I had to find the perfect wine for the perfect woman._

_Oh, do you really think I'm perfect?_

_You're exquisite. _Tony reached up and played with one of my dangling earrings. _And I want to have you_. His voice was dark and raspy. _I want to make love to you. I love you._

_You want to make love again? _I teased with wide eyes.

Tony grasped me roughly, pulling me so close to him that it hurt. And when he kissed me, the oddest thing happened. Absolutely nothing.

_You know I want to make love to you over and over again and then make love to you over again._

I had the strongest urge to pull away from him. Since when did I ever want to pull away from Tony? And…

_Tony, where'd you get that cologne?_

_Cologne? How could you ask me that question at a time like this?_

Even his voice sounded different, harsher somehow.

_Because it's not your scent_, I answered suspiciously.

When he reached for my hands and bent over to kiss them, I realized something else.

_And your hands...they're different..._

I pulled my hands away from him as if I had been burned.

_My hands...?_

_They're rough. They're your hands.. but they're not..._

_Oh, you're just getting excited, my love._

_You are Tony...but you're not..._

I did not understand what was happening. But I knew that this man kissing me and standing before me was not Tony. He was an imposter...a bizarre odious stranger…with Tony's face!

Quickly, I pulled away from him, crossing the room and nearing the bedroom door.

_My little chickadee, what's the matter with you?_

I began to panic at his words.

_Don't call me that! You never called me that before!_

_I told you I love you a thousand times. I love you._

He was impatient and sarcastic...not my lover...not my Tony.

_I don't understand what's going on!_

_All you need to understand is that I love you. That's all._

My thoughts were flying a mile a minute. I knew Tony! I knew him better than anyone…and if this man was posing as Tony, then…where was the real Tony?

_No, something's strange here! Something's really very strange about you!_

Frantically, I imagined Tony lying somewhere, hurt or worse. He could be dying right now somewhere, killed by this imposter!

_I'm going to go get Roman Brady_! I threatened, trying to run from the bedroom.

But the man was too fast for me. He grabbed me from behind in a fierce chokehold, trying to cover my mouth. I screamed, begging Tony to let me go...even though I knew he wasn't Tony.

_Quiet down..._ he snarled.

Suddenly, he punched me in the back. Unbelievable pain took over as I felt what I guessed was the cold steel of a knife buried inside of me. As I gasped for air, I felt hot liquid streaming down my back and my legs…my own blood…

Oh, my God…I realized pitifully. This man is killing me! I don't want to die!

I tried to scream for Tony…for anyone at all! I wanted to cry for Emily or for Chris or for Marlena…for David…even for Alex Marshall! But I couldn't breathe or speak.

I was choking on my own blood…grasping desperately for life which was slipping away from me…

The man released me…and I collapsed onto the floor in a heap. And I felt something soft being placed in my hand. Something that felt like a feather…

TONY…I screamed in my mind. HELP ME! SAVE ME! I'M DYING!

But the darkness began to come.

The battle I could not win...

---------------------------------

"Leigh! Leigh…sweetheart…"

With a gasp, I opened my eyes...only to see my killer!

Thrashing about frantically on the bed, I tried to escape his grasp.

"NOOO!!!" I shrieked, sobbing and choking on my tears. "I DON'T WANT TO DIE! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Ssssshhh…it was just a dream, Leigh. That's all. Just a nightmare."

For a moment, I ceased my struggling. And I realized I was not in the Dimera bedroom. I was in the Salem Inn. And I was not Renee. I was Leigh. And I was so happy to be alive...and so sad for my ghost...

Naked beside me, Tony held me close, trying to comfort me the best way he knew how. Nervously, I reached for his hands. They felt the way they always had, no sign of roughness or callouses.

"Oh, my poor love…" he soothed, kissing my fingertips. "You're all right. It was just a bad dream."

I let him hold me close. His scent was the same as it always had been…

He was Tony, not Andre.

But why would Renee torture me this way? We had a deal. She was supposed to leave me alone now. Why would she make me live through her murder like that?

I buried my head against Tony's shoulder, sobbing with grief for that beautiful woman who had everything to live for.

"Oh, it must have been a horrible nightmare…" Tony whispered, stroking my hair as he held me close. "I'm here. It's OK. I'm here. Ssshhhh…."

I must have still been quite tired, for nestled against Tony's warmth and hearing his comforting words, I managed to pass out in a dreamless sleep in a matter of minutes.

----------------------------------

When I woke up, I saw Tony standing before the hotel room dresser. He sighed with exasperation at his reflection, pulling helplessly at his wrinkled clothes.

"Hello, handsome…" I murmured.

He turned to me immediately, coming by my side and sitting on the bed.

"How are you?" he asked with concern.

"Mmmm…terrific…"

I couldn't help but smile when I remembered the way we made love last night.

"You didn't seem so terrific last night," he said. "I was really worried about you. I don't think I slept at all after that horrible attack you had."

"Oh, Tony, it was just a nightmare…"

I took his hand and kissed it.

"But it's sweet of you to worry about me…"

Tony stroked my face and then leaned over to kiss me. The kiss was long and lingering and sensual.

"I wish I could stay here all day..." he admitted.

"Well, why don't you?"

He pulled away from me with some effort.

"I have to go to a series of tedious meetings," he answered sullenly. "And what an impression I'll make in these mussed up clothes!"

"Well, maybe I can do something about that..."

Getting up from the bed, I stopped short at the sight of my reflection…my hair all messed up, love bites on my neck…

_Oh, Tony, would you look at me? I'm a mess!_

A violent chill came over me as I heard Renee's words in my mind. Why, Renee? Why are you doing this to me? I did what you wanted, didn't I?

"You're still upset, aren't you?" Tony asked, pulling me close. "Leigh, you're shivering. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," I said quickly. "I'm just a little cold. just need a hot shower and I'll be fine. And there's an ironing board in the closet by the way. You can't go to your meeting looking like that!"

"Thanks," he smiled.

Letting the hot water run over me in the shower, I tried to pull myself together. But no matter how steamy the bathroom was, I still felt cold…and deathly afraid…

When I came back into the bedroom, I saw Tony struggling with the iron as if it were an object from outer space. I couldn't help but giggle at the sight of my notorious lover being bested by an appliance.

"Here, Tony…" I chuckled. "Let me do it!"

With my towel wrapped around me, I began to iron his pants for him.

"I usually have servants for this sort of thing…" he admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

"Well, consider me your own personal slave…"

"Mmmm…"

He stood behind me and began kissing my neck.

"I like the sound of that...and such a lovely slave too…"

When his hand crept to the edge of my towel, I slapped him lightly on the wrist.

"Count Dimera, if you don't behave yourself, I'm going to end up burning your fancy silk shirt! Now how would that look at your big business meeting?"

"It would liven things up a bit, I suppose…"

"Here," I handed him the pants. "Now take off your shirt."

"And a slave who orders to strip..." he flirted. "How enchanting!"

"You're impossible!"

While I ironed his shirt, Tony's mood seemed to darken all of a sudden.

"Leigh, I don't like you here alone like this. If anything were to happen to you..."

"I'm OK."

"No, you're not. I worry about your state of mind…cooped up in this place with no protection..."

"Tony, that was just a nightmare last night…"

"And it is the height on incompetence of the Salem PD! To let you live here alone when EJ's out there on the loose somewhere…"

"Well, I suppose according to them, one less Dimera is no loss…"

"Yes," he nodded, considering what I said. "I am accustomed to such prejudice…but despite your heritage, you are an innocent and should not be put into such danger. I want you to move into the mansion with me."

I was silent for a moment, considering the offer.

"Haven't you learned what a troublemaker I can be?" I asked. "Do you really want to take a chance like that again?"

"Don't be a fool…" Tony lectured sternly. "I thought we had forgiven each other. I thought we settled all of that last night."

"Yes…"

I smiled as Tony caressed my bare shoulders, enjoying his touch too much to give him a hard time.

"There would be a lot more room at the mansion. There would be security for you. If I'm not there to protect you, Bart would be there…"

"Bart, huh?"

"I believe you have become rather fond of my employee…" Tony teased.

"I suppose I could put up with the lunkhead," I shrugged. "Do you have a Jacuzzi in the mansion?"

"What?" Tony laughed.

"A Jacuzzi! Don't think I don't know about that little hot tub you had hidden away in the bunker, Dimera! I'm pretty ticked at you for keeping it a secret from me. I missed out on a lot of nice soaks."

"You shall have the Jacuzzi at your disposal whenever you would like," he promised with a grin. "And it wouldn't be like before. You could come and go as you please, provided you have a bodyguard with you."

"A bodyguard?!" I exclaimed. "No way!"

"Leigh, it is too dangerous for you…"

"How am I going to do my investigative reporting with a bodyguard breathing down my neck?"

"Perhaps you should put your career on hold for a little…"

"WHAT?!"

"Or work on stories less dangerous at least. Do you have to get blown up in cars just to do your job?"

"Well, what about my life? I don't have that many friends…but I like to go shopping with Hope and Jennifer sometimes. How can I go out with the girls with a bodyguard around?"

"My men are the best…very discreet. Your friends would never know they were there."

"I'd know they were there!" I answered back, turning off the iron. "And here's your shirt!"

"Please consider it, Leigh…"

"From a marriage proposal…to shacking up with you," I sniffed haughtily. "It seems I've been demoted."

"Oh, is that what's bothering you?" he laughed. "My marriage proposal still stands, of course. I just didn't want you to feel like you had to commit to anything until you are ready. If it would make you feel better, you could live on one side of the mansion and I could live on the other. We'd never have to see each other at all! Perfectly chaste and innocent…"

"That wouldn't make me feel better…" I pouted.

"Or we could spend all of our time together…" he said, his voice like silk as he pulled me close and kissed my fingertips. "I could cancel all of my appointments, clear my calendar and show you every room in the mansion. We could make love in every room in the mansion…and there are a lot of rooms…"

"OK…you win..." I gasped. "Sweet talker..."

"You'll move in!?" Tony asked, sounding all triumphant and excited like a little boy.

"You know I can't resist you when you turn all continental..."

We kissed and kept kissing until we reached the doorway of the hotel room.

"If we don't stop, I don't know how I shall ever tear myself away..." he rasped. "So I shall get through these ghastly meetings and then I will come back and pick you up…say, at two o'clock?"

"OK."

"And you shall have your bags packed and be all checked out…"

"Fine."

"And we shall go to the Salem Penthouse for a late lunch and a bottle of wine to celebrate our new…living arrangements…"

"That sounds very nice."

"And then I shall sweep you away to the mansion where I shall have the Jacuzzi all primed and ready…hot and steamy…"

"Oh, Count Dimera…now you're talking my language."

"And I'll have a bottle of champagne on ice, which I intend to pour all over your naked body…"

I reached for him, kissing him with a throaty moan of anticipation.

"Hurry up and get through with those stupid meetings!"

-----------------------------------

The hours seemed to pass forever.

I packed. I had breakfast. I went to the hotel gym and worked up a good sweat.

But the day still seemed to go so slowly...

The doorbell rang at 1:15 pm.

Running to the door, I opened the door excitedly, thrilled to see Tony there.

"Hi, sexy!" I smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "You're early, but lucky for you, I'm already packed!"

I went to get my suitcase. As I looked back at him over my shoulder, he seemed to be staring at me intently…and looked somewhat in shock.

"What's wrong? Do I have lipstick on my teeth or something?"

"You're beautiful…" he remarked. "You always were."

That seemed like an odd thing for him to say.

"Okay…?"

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head with a smile. "You just reminded me so much of Renee just now. You do look exactly like her, you know?"

I didn't know why Tony was talking about me like that. He knew my insecurities…that I wasn't crazy about being compared to her. And I disliked even more the fact that he had seemed to forget who I really was.

"Yes, I think we established that a long time ago."

Tony's eyes flared up with lust for me. And not in a sexy way either, but kind of in a sleazy fashion...

"I want to make love to you…"

"But what about lunch?" I gasped as he grabbed me roughly and kissed me hard on my mouth.

I was shocked…to feel absolutely nothing! No. It was not that I felt nothing. I felt revulsion.

And that cold feeling again…just like my nightmare...

"Tony…"

I grabbed his hands in a pretense of placing them on my waist. They were rough. I gasped in shock at the feel of them. And I choked on the smell of his sickening cologne.

And suddenly I understood.

Renee had not been torturing me. She had been warning me. I could not make the same fatal mistake that she had made. I could not panic.

I swallowed hard, trying my best not to let him see that I knew the truth...that he was Andre Dimera!


	21. Family Ties

**Ch. 21 – Family Ties**

"Tony…" I gasped between Andre Dimera's disgusting kisses, my heart pounding in fear. "You're such an animal!"

If only I could work us over to the bed, where the pepper spray was in the nightstand…

"You like it when I'm an animal?" Tony…or rather Andre…growled. "I could eat you up right now! Would you like that?"

"Oh, yes…" I gasped in my best porno voice, letting him ease me on the bed. "I've never seen you like this before. I like it!!!"

"You like me better this way?" he grinned, seeming very pleased with the comparison. "Really?"

"Oh, yes, it's so sexy. I'll strip for you and show you how much…"

"Mmmm…take it off!"

Standing up from the bed, I made a desperate grasp for the bedstand drawer, yanking it so fiercely that the whole thing came out of the dresser and fell onto the floor with a crash. Grabbing my pepper spray, I attacked the imposter without hesitation, aiming right for his face. Covering his eyes, he screeched with horrible noises.

Reaching into his coat, he had a large shiny knife!

I had just enough presence of mind to grab my purse before bolting out of the hotel room and running down the Salem Inn hallway in my tee-shirt, jeans and bare feet. Dashing to a nearby stairway, I flew down several flights. On one of the lower floors, I entered a room with an ice machine and a vending machine. There was a small closet there which I hid away in.

For a while, I simply gasped, fighting for air. I swore I would never skip my aerobics class again! It paid to be in good cardiovascular shape when a madman was out to stab you to death!

What was I going to do?

I wanted to call Tony, but I was too afraid. With Andre on the loose, I had no way of knowing if Tony was even still alive. If I dared to try to get to the Dimera Mansion, I might be walking straight into a trap.

Pulling out my cell phone, I peered at it, remembering that horrible day when I escaped from the bunker in hysterics. Shane had given me a number – an ISA contact to reach in the event of any danger. Cracking the closet door open a notch, I frantically searched for the card in my purse.

As I saw the name on the card, I groaned out loud.

Oh, this wouldn't be pretty...but I had no choice.

"Please..." I begged the man on the other side of the line. "You don't know me, but Shane Donovan gave me this number to call if I were to get in trouble. And I'm in serious trouble..."

Maybe a half hour later, I heard footsteps outside of the closet. I held my breath, trying not to panic.

"Leigh...it's me. You can come out now."

Opening the door a crack, I nodded at the man who had saved the day. He was a tall guy with dark hair, dressed in blue jeans and a dark gray turtleneck. Even in my state of panic, I could appreciate how handsome he was.

"Hi, Leigh Daniels..." he said, extending his hand. "I'm John Black."

------------------------------------------

The drive towards the Black penthouse was a tense one.

John Black stared stonily ahead at the road with a clenched jaw as he kept driving. I could tell that he didn't like me and he didn't trust me.

"I'm sorry to put you to so much trouble, Mr. Black," I ventured in an attempt to break the ice between us. "Like everyone else in Salem, I heard about all you went through...being shot and in a coma and such."

"Just doing my job..." he answered abruptly. "I owed Shane a favor. It was the least I could do."

"Well, I appreciate it."

John gave me a sidelong glance as he kept driving.

"I have to say you seem like a nice enough kid," he nodded grudgingly. "But what are you doing hanging around with my half-brother? Do you have a death wish or something?"

I paused for a moment, choosing my words carefully. I knew that John Black and Tony had been bitter rivals for years. I didn't care to add to that animosity.

"Tony and I met under...unusual circumstances," I admitted.

"Yes. He abducted you, didn't he?"

"He did that to protect me from EJ Wells. Honestly, he's been a good friend to me."

John snorted at the word 'friend'.

"I'll bet..."

I decided not to even dignify that insult with a comment.

"You're a lot younger than I thought you'd be..." John admitted. "Hell, you couldn't be much older than Carrie, my daught..." He paused mid-sentence. "Well, she's not actually my daughter, but..."

"I'm aware of the history, Mr. Black. You don't need to explain."

"Just one of the ways that your grandfather has messed up my life."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Black," I said. "I know you have no reason to trust me. I wouldn't have called you if I had anywhere else to turn. I know that you hate Stefano and Tony and EJ. The last thing you need is another Dimera bothering you..."

John shrugged nonchalantly.

"Like I said, you seem okay. I just don't like the idea of my half-brother playing games with you like he is..."

"Mr. Black..."

"Please stop with the 'Mr. Black' stuff. Call me John, please!"

"OK. John, I know that Tony had nothing to do with the attack on me today."

John shook his head, disbelieving.

"I wouldn't put anything past that creep. Let's say I swallow this crazy story about Andre Dimera being your attacker. How could you even tell the difference between the two? According to most reports, it's almost impossible to tell them apart. Even Anna Dimera, Tony's wife, couldn't tell the difference between them at first."

I hesitated to answer. How could I tell him the truth about Renee's nightmare warning?

"Tony and I got to know each other very well down in the bunker." I swallowed with humiliation. "Very well."

"I'll just bet you did."

I gritted my teeth, my patience wearing thin with these little comments.

"My point is there were subtle differences between the two men that I was instantly aware of. The timbre of his voice, the feel of his hands, his cologne. I had just been with the real Tony a few hours before. So for me, it was pretty obvious."

"I see."

"Look, I know that you don't get along with Tony..." I started.

"Every bad thing that has ever happened to me and Doc has been because of Tony and his old man!!" he raged. "Like a cancer that never goes away and just keeps eating away at us...so, no, I'm not very fond of the guy."

"That was Andre, not Tony!" I argued. "Andre framed you in Aremid! Andre was the one who held you all captive in Melaswen! And that was proven in court, John. What more do you want?"

"You can only blame so much on Andre," he retorted with a shake of his head. "One time, there had been this freaky earthquake in Salem. And I was trapped in a sauna at the Salem Health Club. Tony was there. I asked him to save me. But you know what the SOB did? He just turned up the heat and walked out. And that was before the tiger attack! That was Tony, mind you, not Andre. And that was only one story. I could give you some more if you want."

I knew John was telling me the truth. Even Tony had admitted to me that he had tried to kill John.

"I've heard a few stories about you trying to kill him as well," I said. "Something about leaving him to hang over an abyss somewhere..."

John just shrugged coldly.

"Well, there's no love lost between us. Let's just put it that way."

"My point is that you should not let your dislike of Tony stand in the way of your objectivity. A real criminal and killer is going free, attacking people like me while you're blaming the wrong man. Tony was proven innocent of most of the more heinous crimes he's been accused of."

"Yes, and I understand you're the one to thank for him being free to walk the streets right now," he sniped, shaking his head in disgust. "Working for Victor Kiriakis and writing that sob story stuff about him. Well, Tony sure does know how to pick women to his advantage. I'll give him that."

"Is Kristen Dimera really worth all of this?" I snapped.

"Excuse me..."

John's tone led me to believe that I was wandering down a path that was none of my business. Well, too bad for him!

"You seem to be free and easy with judging me and my relationship with Tony," I began. "Well, I have a few things to say to you, John Black! As I understand it, all of this started over the two of you fighting over Kristen."

"It may have began that way. But since then, I've had plenty of other reasons to..."

"And quite frankly," I continued, not allowing him to take the upper hand. "I don't get it. Kristen was an adulteress. She was a manipulator. She made all of you suffer in some way or another. Why do the both of you insist on keeping her memory alive by holding on to all of this hatred?"

"She wasn't always like that..." John said, remembering a time long since past. "Kristen used to be a good woman. But then Stefano and Tony came to town and she changed!"

"Oh, more of this Dimera Curse nonsense!" I scoffed. "She did what she did because she chose to go down that path. And I think both of you are idiots for holding on to this ridiculous grudge."

For the first time since we got in the car, John was speechless...but only for a minute or so.

"Forget it," he sulked. "I've learned over the years never to argue with a woman in love. And you've got it bad, kid."

----------------------------------------

"John!"

Marlena Black ran to hug him once we arrived at the penthouse.

I was stunned at how large and immaculate the place was, all decorated in tones of beige and mauve. It looked like it could have been right out of a fashion magazine. There was a large view of Salem from the kitchen area that took my breath away.

"I was so worried about you, honey! You're in no condition to be going off like that...not after just having recovered from that coma!"

Then she saw me.

"Oh!" she said with a startled gasp. "You must be Leigh Daniels."

We both paused for a few moments, clearly awed by each other.

Marlena Black had been the central figure in most of the more notorious stories of the Dimera canon. Stefano at first was in a series of battles with Roman Brady, her husband. But through their cat-and-mouse games, my grandfather then became obsessed with Marlena. Some of the events that happened later were those of urban legend. Stories of kidnapping, brainwashing and even satanic possession...tales too crazy to be believed. But the woman herself seemed quite calm and classy and normal. She was dressed very casually in a simple yellow blouse and skirt, her blonde hair pulled back softly from her face. I could see how my grandfather had become so enthralled with her classic beauty. She had the sort of face that would launch a thousand ships.

"Hello, Mrs. Black..."

"Forgive me for staring, but..."

"I look like Renee. I know."

"She was a patient of mine for a while," Marlena nodded, lost in memories. "Her life had not been an easy one. And the way she died so horribly! I'd like to think that I was a friend to her while she had lived."

"I know that you were..."

Marlena looked at me oddly with a little smile.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I mean...with my research, it seemed quite clear that she considered you a friend."

"Doc..." John said, anxious to interrupt our bonding session. "Leigh managed to get into a bad scrape at the Salem Inn. I promised Shane I'd look out for her if there was any trouble."

"Oh, dear...what happened?"

"She claims that she was attacked by Andre Dimera."

"I know I was attacked by Andre Dimera!" I snapped back with a frustrated sigh.

"The attacker tried to knife her. She doused him with pepper spray and made a run for it."

"Oh, you poor thing...let me make you some tea," Marlena soothed. "You must be in shock."

I was puzzled as to why Marlena was being so nice to me. Was it because I reminded her of Renee? And I couldn't help but be grateful for the friendly attention after all I had been through. Also, I got kind of a kick out of seeing John Black grow more and more disgusted at seeing his wife wait on a mean old nasty Dimera.

"So what next?" I asked him.

"I've already notified Abe and Roman about what has happened. We've all agreed that it is better to sit tight here until we know what's really going on. The scene of the crime is being investigated. And we're looking for any clues as to where Andre might have run off to. We've also got men scoping out the Dimera Mansion. In the meantime, you can stay with me and Doc. It's safe here with decent security. And there's plenty of room."

I moaned with aggravation.

"How long is that going to take?"

John shrugged.

"Everyone agrees that we have to proceed with caution. We've been tricked by the Dimeras too many times. No arrest is going to be made unless we are sure that we've got the real criminal."

"And I'm supposed to stay here until you guys figure this one out?" I asked incredulously.

"Sorry. I can't say I like it any better than you do."

And I couldn't help but think about Tony. I was so worried about him. If he was falsely arrested, that would be the least of his problems. What if Andre and EJ had him held prisoner somewhere? What if he was hurt?

"Do you think there's any way I could get in touch with...?"

"Absolutely not!" John interrupted, obviously expecting my question. "There's too many unanswered questions right now. The farther away you are from your boyfriend, the better! And I certainly don't want that scum coming to this house."

Before I could answer back, Marlena came with the tea.

"Here you go..."

"Thank you, Marlena." I looked pointedly at John Black. "This tea may be just what I need for my nerves."

"John..." Marlena suggested as she poured tea into a delicate porcelain cup. "Maybe you should go upstairs and get some rest. I'm not happy about your playing super spy so soon after everything that's happened. You need your rest."

"Yeah, that's a fact," he answered, still glaring at me. "But I'm not sure I like leaving you alone with her."

"Relax, John. My fangs only come out at night."

Marlena laughed at my joke.

"Leigh and I will be just fine, John. Don't worry."

"OK," he nodded. "I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

"Rest well, love."

Marlena gave him a kiss, seeing him off before she sat across from me in the living room.

"I'm sorry to have been such a disturbance, Marlena," I said. "Shane Donovan gave me John's number for an emergency and I didn't know what else to do. I certainly didn't meant to impose on you."

"You did the right thing!" she smiled, patting my hand reassuringly. "I'm glad to get a chance to meet you actually."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said, taking a sip of tea. "I read the article you wrote about Tony Dimera in _Salem Monthly_."

"Oh?"

I awkwardly sipped at my tea. After the way Marlena had been tormented by the Dimeras for so long, she surely had a few choice words for me.

"The article was well-researched and very moving. I was impressed."

"Really?" I asked in shock. "Your husband certainly doesn't like it!"

Marlena shrugged with a small smile.

"I've known Tony a long time...longer than I've known John, in fact. We used to be friends once."

"I know." I nodded. "Tony often spoke of you. I know he misses your friendship."

"Well, a lot has happened over the years," Marlena said, seeming somewhat sad. "He has changed a lot. I've changed as well. I'm not sure there can ever be real trust between us again. But I'm glad that he has someone in his corner."

I blinked in surprise at her gentle smile.

"Marlena, I think you're the only person on the planet who actually approves of my relationship with Tony!"

"I know what a monster Stefano was," she said, her eyes hard as she sugared her tea. "I know better than anyone. And I know that Tony has been just as much a victim as any of us. For him, perhaps it has been worse. Stefano raised him. There are strong family feelings there that can't be turned off just because he wants to turn them off. I remember when he came back to Salem last. He wasn't himself. He would often go off in paralyzed trances. I even had him as a patient for a time...but that didn't work out. Some of Stefano's worst qualities have rubbed off him. It was inevitable, I suppose. But he must be so confused and tormented. I wasn't able to help him. I was too close to the situation and there were complications..."

I recalled Rex and Cassie Brady...rumored to be Tony and Marlena's biological children at one time. Yes, that was some complication.

"But Tony needs someone..." Marlena said thoughtfully. "He needs someone desperately. And not just a girlfriend, but someone with a healthy ego who can stand up to him...and yet believe in him as well."

"You sound as if all he needs is the right woman and all of his problems will disappear," I said.

"No," Marlena shook her head. "That is unrealistic. But perhaps he'd be able to deal with his problems in a different way. Perhaps he'd be able to cope without holding on to all of the bitterness and anger and need for revenge. I haven't given up hope for Tony. Especially now that I know that Andre was responsible for so many of the things that John and I suffered through."

"So you believe that?" I asked. "John doesn't seem to."

Marlena shrugged.

"We have been deceived and victimized by the Dimeras so many times for so many years. You must understand why it is difficult for us to trust any of them. But I want to believe that Tony was innocent. So many years of his life have been wasted. I hate to see him waste any more time."

"Marlena..." I started cautiously. "If you don't trust any of the Dimeras, why are you being so nice to me? Not just because you like my writing style."

"No," she chuckled. "No. But I've read a little bit about you. I've heard stories from Jack and Jennifer and Bo and Hope. You seem like an innocent mixed up in a big mess. I'm trying to keep an open mind. And I have a selfish ulterior motive as well."

"What's that?"

"If you and Tony ever have a real future together, maybe at least one Dimera would leave us in peace."


	22. Hard Times

**Ch. 22 – Hard Times**

Days passed by...and I was losing my mind.

I couldn't get a thing out of John Black about what was going on with the investigation. He said mysteriously that the less I knew, the better. And Marlena steadfastly resolved to stay out of John's ISA cases. So she was of no help either.

The television news revealed nothing as well. There were no stories of anything unusual regarding the Dimeras. No arrests had been made. In fact, there wasn't even a story about my disappearance. Did anyone know I was missing at all?

Sipping at a Diet Coke, I once more plopped down on the couch and surfed the television channels, looking for any clues as to what was really going on.

"_So no one told you life was gonna be this way..."_

Click.

"_LIVE! on Dancing With the Stars..."_

Click.

"_And in local news, Salem welcomes back one of its own. The ever-dazzling and talented Anna Dimera..."_

The glass of soda slipped from my fingers, falling on the floor with a loud crash. I was oblivious to the damage I had caused as I saw the luscious blonde smile at the screen, waving from a red carpet in Milan.

"Leigh! Are you alright?"

The words sounded like they were coming from far away.

I couldn't answer. All I could do was stare at the television in helpless horror as I saw a clip of Tony and Anna together. And this wasn't some old news footage from the 1980s. This was now!

"_Just recently, she had been seen in some of the swankiest places in Salem with her ex-husband, Count Antony Dimera. With his recent exoneration, things seem to be looking up for one of Salem's most notorious playboys."_

Perfectly timed, Tony laughed in conversation with his ex-wife, bestowing upon her a dazzling smile.

"_Tony and Anna Dimera were once regarded as one of Salem's most glamorous and fashionable couples. Could romance be in the air for these two again?"_

My hand covering my mouth, I simply stood there, glued to the television set.

Tony and Anna Dimera were the perfect couple, elegantly dressed, sipping champagne, looking as if they had gone back in time. Anna would never step on Tony's foot during a tango. She would never have a problem with the taste of caviar. She loved expensive clothes and big mansions. She would never be shy or awkward or clumsy. She was just right for him.

"I'm so sorry, Leigh. It has to hurt...seeing them together like that..." Marlena soothed, turning off the television.

"Did you know about this?"

"I've heard some rumors," she admitted. "Please, Leigh! Don't move! You'll cut yourself..."

I sat down, feeling numb. If I had cut myself on the glass, I wouldn't have been able to even feel it.

"Leigh, are you alright?"

I shook my head bitterly.

"They were very much in love, weren't they?" I asked.

"Yes...but, Leigh, they've been divorced a long time. People change."

"Well, they don't seem to have changed at all!"

I threw myself up from the couch, pacing in a frustrated rage.

"There Anna is...all dressed up in her maneater evening gown. Tony's just licking it all up. And here I am, trapped like a rat, almost being killed!"

"Leigh, please calm down..."

"While he's off at some bar flirting with his ex-wife! And all I can do is sit here...and watch that woman steal him away from me! My God, Tony must know that I'm missing! How could he be sitting there...casually having a drink with her when...?"

The sobs started to come.

"He doesn't care for me at all, does he? I was completely...expendable...to him."

"Leigh, did you ever think that might be Andre with Anna?"

For a moment, I calmed down as I heard Marlena's voice of reason.

"Andre?"

"The man just recently attacked you and has not been caught. Maybe that's Andre. I don't mean to be feeding you false hope, but it is possible, isn't it?"

"Yes..." I nodded, sniffling. "That would make sense. Andre had a thing for Anna. That would be just like him to come on to her. But if that's the case, Tony might be dead somewhere!"

Marlena had no more words of consolation for me. She knew that I was right.

-----------------------------------------------

That night, I did not sleep a wink. Even Renee and her haunting dreams would have been welcome company, but after rescuing me from Andre with her warning nightmare, she was quiet once more. Renee was gone. And Tony was gone.

I felt mercilessly alone.

In the darkness, my mind wandered back to those days when I would first have those dreams. I thought about Renee at the evening party, pleading her desperate love for Tony in front of everyone, confessing her hatred for Anna in front of everyone. And I felt that way now. I could have cheerfully killed both Anna and Tony. And yet, even at the same time, I wanted and missed Tony so much. I hated him and loved him at the same time.

If that man on the television was Tony, he seemed to have completely forgotten about me. And if that man was Andre, then Tony might be held captive or dead.

Either scenario meant that I had lost him.

Later that morning, as I gazed at the scrambled eggs at the breakfast table, I felt violently ill.

"You okay there, Leigh?" John asked with a raised eyebrow, sitting across from me. "You're looking a little green around the gills there."

"I'm okay," I lied, swallowing back a gag.

"I'll make you some tea."

After all of John's rude insinuations about me, the last thing I wanted to do was accept his help. Apparently, I had a good dose of hereditary Dimera pride as I felt like I would rather die than take his blasted tea. Desperately, I wished that Marlena were here. But she was at the hospital all day with patients.

"Look, I know I'm not the best cook in the world," John joked.. "But I'm still a better chef than Doc. What? You don't like eggs? Would you like some bacon or...?"

Just the thought of bacon made me run to the bathroom and dry heave.

After the horrible incident, I sat in the living room, doubled over. As long as I stayed away from those horrible food smells, I would be okay. If I kept telling myself that, maybe I would believe it. But my stomach seemed to be telling me otherwise.

John left the kitchen, his eyes narrowed in concern for me.

"Leigh, how long has it been since you left Dimera's bunker?"

"John...please..." I moaned, barely able to talk. "This is no time to start in on me about Tony."

"Two months? Three?" he continued.

"Yes!" I answered in exasperation. "I guess so. Why?"

John didn't answer but just returned to the kitchen.

I moaned, lying back on the couch, my head spinning. God, I hated being sick to my stomach more than anything in the world. But it was even worse when I wasn't even in the privacy of my own home.

"Try this..."

John placed something wet and slimy in my hand. It was a lemon slice.

"Eeeewww!" I cried out, almost ready to throw the gross fruit in his face. "No way!"

"Leigh, you have my permission to beat the crap out of me afterwards," he said with a faint smile. "But I want you to just try to suck on the lemon. OK? Just humor me."

I looked at the man as if he were truly out of his mind as I put the sour fruit to my lips, inhaling the scent.

After a few minutes, the waves of nausea seemed to disappear as if by magic.

"Feel better?" he asked.

I nodded in surprise.

"Good."

"I've never heard of such a thing..." I said, bemused.

"This used to help Izzy B – Brady's mother—quite a bit," John confided. "...when she was pregnant. Leigh, do you think that...?"

"NO!" I answered loudly, about to hyperventilate. "No! Absolutely not..."

But then I thought back.

When had my last period been? I couldn't remember.

Had I used birth control that first night with Tony? I was pretty sure that I had not.

How could I possibly have been so stupid as to have not used protection that night? I wasn't that innocent or naïve. But I also had not been in my right mind. Renee had been in control that night. And she was not concerned with such mundane matters as birth control. I would not have put it past my ghost to make me conveniently forget about such things too. In fact...

The next thought chilled me.

Perhaps this is what Renee had intended for me all along.. to become the mother of the next Dimera heir...

"My God, you are pregnant, aren't you?" John guessed., his blue eyes wide with shock

The deer-in-the-headlights expression on my face answered his question.

-----------------------------------------

The over-the-counter pregnancy test confirmed our suspicions. I was pregnant with Tony's child.

Grimly, John paced around the living room.

"Leigh," he offered. "It is not too late to do something about this. You're still early in the pregnancy. I would be willing to even pay for everything, just so that there are no insurance records that you need to worry about or..."

I gasped in shock.

"Just what are you suggesting?"

He couldn't even answer me.

"Look, I know it sounds horrible..." he pleaded sincerely. "I'm sorry about that. But think about what's really going on here! You think you're in danger now? Well, if any of the Dimeras find out about this child, the stakes are all doubled against you! This is Tony's child, partly related to Renee Dimera as well. Do you think EJ will ever let you or this child live if he finds out about its existence? Do you realize what a threat you are to him and his position with Stefano and the Dimeras? What a threat that baby is?!"

I covered my stomach protectively with my hand.

"That's a chance I'm going to take," I answered stubbornly.

I didn't even have to think twice about it.

"EJ Wells has been trying to kill me anyway. And he is not going to take away my baby. No one will take away this baby. And I'm not going to do something I'll regret the rest of my life out of fear!"

"Well, consider this while we're at it..." John continued. "Tony Dimera has been trying to get an heir for the Dimera Empire for years, and not always through the most scrupulous methods. If he knows about this child, he will force you to marry him in order to give this child a name, whether you want to or not."

I almost laughed at John's argument.

"John," I sighed. "You don't seem to get it! I love Tony. I want to marry him. We were going to get married until Andre came along and messed everything up."

"Even if Tony is still sleeping around with his ex-wife?"

I felt as if John had punched me.

"John, please remember my delicate condition," I sniped. "Are you deliberately trying to upset me? Besides that man might be Andre."

John shook his head.

"We had a policeman visit the mansion on the night you were attacked. There was no sign that the man living there had been sprayed in the face with pepper spray. We have every reason to believe that the real Tony Dimera is in that mansion."

The knowledge did nothing to relieve my nausea.

"Also, Anna Dimera was there that night as well. The same day that you were attacked."

"Just shut up!" I snarled.

"I'm not saying these things to hurt you, kid," he said. "I'm just trying to make you see the reality of this situation. If you think that you're just going to marry Tony and have a baby and everything is going to be hunky dory, then you're dead wrong. Tony does what Tony wants to do and doesn't give a damn for anyone else. That hasn't changed. He's just like his father that way. Heartless. In fact, he's worse than Stefano. At least, Stefano had some weaknesses. But for Tony, you are a means to an end...just like I was a pawn to Stefano."

"John, you don't know anything! Tony loves me."

He grimaced at my words.

"The Dimeras always want to love someone who can't love them back. They become obsessed. Perhaps Tony was briefly obsessed with you...but once he knew that you returned that love, he probably simply lost interest. It's a fairly common pattern with him. Just look at how he's acting now."

There was truth to what he said and I knew it.

Stefano was obsessed with Marlena and Gina. Lee, Daphne and Celeste...women who truly returned that love...were thrown out by him like yesterday's garbage. Megan Dimera was obsessed with Bo Brady. Kristen Dimera was obsessed with John. Peter Dimera was obsessed with Jennifer. EJ was rumored to have an obsession with Sami Brady. And even Tony had fit that pattern. Liz Curtis had supposedly loved Tony, but he lost interest in her halfway through the marriage and started having affairs. Renee had been deserted by Tony when he married Anna.

And then there was Anna. He had never deserted Anna, not really. That's what made her such a threat. I had seen Tony and Anna together on the television with my own eyes. His declaration of love for me obviously meant nothing to him. He had spent years suffering for Anna's sake if his story could be believed. How could I compete with a love like that?

I knew that I couldn't. It was hopeless.

But even if I did not have Tony, I did have his child inside of me. In fact, this baby was all I had now.

With or without Tony, I would keep this child and love it. It was part of me. It was part of Tony. For better or worse, Tony and I had been destined to join together. And this child was destined to be as well.

"Do you really want to spend your life in a loveless marriage?" John asked. "Do you want your child to grow up that way? Do you really want to live your life in constant fear?"

"John, whatever Tony chooses to do is up to him," I answered with determination. "If Tony goes back to Anna, then I'll just have to live with that. But I won't give up this baby or have an abortion or anything else like that. Don't you see? That's been the real Dimera Curse all along. Look at your life...and mine...and Tony's and Renee's. The list of victims goes on and on. None of us knew where we came from. All of us were brought up on deception and lies and destruction. I am not going to follow that pattern. This child is mine and I will keep it End of story."

"Even if both of you end up dead?"

"That's a chance I'll have to take."

I saw something shift in John's hard expression.

"You're one hell of a woman, Leigh Daniels," he admitted. "I'm not sure how you are for brains, but you've got guts, I'll give you that."

"Thanks...I think," I smiled, glad to know that we had come to an uneasy truce. "Can I have another lemon slice now?"

--------------------------------------------------

I had discovered a hard truth about pregnancy. There was no such thing as morning sickness, per se. It was more like morning sickness, afternoon sickness, evening sickness and all times in between. I just never knew when something was going to trigger an attack. As it was, I was pretty miserable. What a way to bring life into the world...

There was no way to keep my condition secret from Marlena. Not when I was running to the bathroom twenty times a day gagging.

John and I didn't even see any point in trying to deceive her.

"Tony has a right to know about this baby," she said, once we were alone.

"I don't know what to do," I admitted. "I agree that Tony is the father and he should know. But John said..."

Marlena rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess. That Tony will force you into marriage and treat you terribly. That he'll do anything for a baby. That your life will be a living hell. Et cetera, et cetera."

"Something like that..." I smiled.

"I know you are upset about Tony and Anna. But you're not going to be able to keep this from him. Sooner or later, he's going to find out. Wouldn't it be better for him to know now rather than later? Of course, things may not turn out the way that you would like. But deception and lies will just make things worse. Believe me, I know this from first hand experience. And the truth always comes out one way or the other."

"I know you are right," I nodded. "That is the mature thing to do. But, Marlena, what if John is right? I couldn't bear living in the same house with Tony and seeing him in the arms of another woman. There Anna is poured into those tight gowns...and I'm going to look like a whale six months from now."

"Yes..." Marlena laughed. "But you'll be carrying Tony's baby. Don't you think that's going to matter to him?"

"The baby will matter."

"With all due respect to my husband," Marlena said. "John doesn't know as much about Tony as he thinks he does. I would take anything he says with a grain of salt. He is a good man but very judgmental against Tony. Sometimes his anger is justified, but other times its not. I believe he does lose objectivity from time to time. He equivocates the name 'Dimera' with evil. But I don't believe that any person is genetically disposed to become evil. Leigh, you know Tony much better than either of us. Do you really think that he would treat you that so coldly?"

"The man I fell in love with in the bunker would not treat me that way," I answered. "But he also wouldn't abandon me like this either. He's not even trying to find me. Marlena, I was supposed to go to the Dimera Mansion that day when I was attacked. Tony had asked me to move in with him...for my own safety. But of course..."

"There was more to it than that," Marlena said with knowing eyes.

"Yes. He said he wanted to marry me. He had already proposed to me in the bunker..."

Painful tears came to my eyes as I remembered that beautiful evening.

"I just can't believe that he wouldn't have come back for me at the Salem Inn. How long have I been here? At least two weeks, right? The man I knew would have posted up a big reward for me to be found. He wouldn't be off at nightclubs with...her..."

I shook my head in frustration.

"I just don't understand. John said that the Dimeras are only capable of obsession. That if you love a Dimera back, they lose interest. I told Tony I loved him the night before. Maybe that's all it took to make him leave me."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Leigh!" Marlena interrupted. "Will you please stop telling me what 'John said'? What do you think? Do you think Tony would leave you without a second thought?"

"No," I answered honestly. "That's why this hurts so much. And now there's Anna...and this baby. God, I don't know what to do!"

"If there was only some way to get in touch with Tony..." Marlena mused. "To just get an idea of what's going on in his head."

"Well, as long as I'm a target for every psychopathic killer in Salem, I can't do anything."

"But maybe I could..." Marlena contemplated.

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"No one is after me. If I could find a way talk to Tony..."

"No!" I said. "Look, John hates it that I'm here as it is. If something happened to you..."

"I'll be careful," she promised. "I know how to handle the Dimeras."

I bit my lip doubtfully, knowing her past history.

"I won't even mention your name," she assured me. "I'll just ask about Anna. That's all. I'll see if anything is really going on with her."

I grimaced at the very thought.

"I'm not sure I want to know."

"Leigh, won't this all be easier to handle if you know the truth? Then at least you can deal with it."

"I guess so."

"And the truth is that you would be safer with Tony at this point," Marlena said. "Tony can protect you against Andre in a way that we can't. He knows the enemy better than we do and he can fight him. To be honest, I don't know how safe you are here. You're pregnant. You need a doctor and prenatal vitamins and ultrascans...all that stuff. How are you going to get all of that in hiding like this? So you see, this situation can't continue on this way. Not now."

"No, you're right about that."

"So you're okay with my talking to Tony?"

"Yes," I answered.

"John is going to physical therapy today. And I'm going to have a full day tracking down Tony between patients. You'll be okay here by yourself?"

"Sure, Mom," I grinned.

It was the first time I would have the place to myself since that whole Andre attack happened. Quite frankly, I'd be glad for the privacy.

"Marlena, thank you," I said. "You've been a great friend to me. Both you and John have been so hospitable to me...and you have every reason not to be."

"Just take care of yourself and that baby," Marlena smiled. "Everything will work out the way it should."

-------------------------------------------------------

Privacy mattered little when I could barely keep my eyes open. Whether it was stress, the sleepless nights or the pregnancy, I was just so tired. Lying down on the sofa, I rested, trying not to think about my heart breaking.

I thought of the baby. What would I name the baby? But maybe I should wait for Marlena to come back. Maybe she would bring Tony here with her. And then we could pick a name together. Yes. We would pick a name together. Tony would probably want some terribly original and exotic name. I smiled softly, wondering what he would come up with...

BBRRRIIIINNNGGG!!!

The sound of the fire alarm woke me up from my dreamless sleep. My heart raced at the shrill sound.

"Miss!"

I heard loud banging and a voice calling to me from the penthouse elevator shaft.

"Oh, my God!" I panicked. "What's wrong?"

"There's a fire on one of the floors below, Miss! Please make your way to the emergency stairs immediately."

Jeez! I panicked, hurriedly throwing on a silk robe over my nightgown. I couldn't smell smoke. That was good, right? The fire couldn't be too bad if I couldn't smell smoke. I wasn't hot either. Good. That was all good. There was time to escape.

Running to the stairs, I made my way down a flight to see a tall firefighter at the landing below. He had on a fire hat and a gas mask on, covering his face.

"Thank God!" I cried out, joining the fireman. "I was so tired I would have slept through the whole fire. The baby and I could have burned to death!"

The fireman looked at me for a moment, unmoving.

"There's a baby in there?" he asked with concern.

"Oh no..." I giggled nervously. "I mean I'm expecting and..."

"Oh, I see." Quickly, the fireman grabbed my arm. "All the more important we get you out of here. Come right this way, miss..."

The fireman's voice sounded strangely familiar, but I couldn't place it.

"We have to leave through the alleyway exit. The fire is too close to the lobby of the building."

"OK. Lead the way..."

When we reached the alleyway, I saw two other firemen there.

"You're doing just fine, miss. Just fine."

Again that eerie familiarity...

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I asked.

The man took off his hat and the gas mask quickly. It was EJ Wells!

"I should say that you do!" he grinned with an evil smirk. "Leigh Daniels, the woman of mystery. At last, we meet again!"


	23. Deja Vu

**Ch. 23 – Deja Vu**

At the sight of EJ's grinning face, I screamed. Turning away from him, I saw that the other two firemen were pointing guns straight at me. Dimera goons! There was a black car resembling a hearse in the alleyway. EJ grabbed my arms, tying my wrists behind my back before he blindfolded me and forced me into the car.

"I'll have to thank your employer, sweetheart," EJ bragged. "I've always heard Deveraux was a bit of an idiot...but this fireman disguise was sheer brilliance. A very effective way to arrange an abduction. All I had to do was wait for John and Marlena to finally leave you alone."

For a brief moment, I wondered how EJ had found out where I was. But what did that matter now? He had me and he was going to kill me. And I resigned myself to my death. I was just sorry for my poor baby who would never see the light of day.

"You're awfully quiet back there..." EJ taunted.

"I don't talk to murdering pigs!"

"A fine thing to call your uncle. Or am I your uncle? Half-uncle? Hmmm, don't know actually. I'm related to you some way or another though, aren't I? And I'm not going to be the one to murder you. Actually, I have a nice surprise for you..."

"Why bother with a surprise? You want to kill me, don't you? Why not just shoot me, dump me in the Salem River and get it over with?"

"Why, Leigh, that would be no fun at all..." EJ tsked sarcastically. "I must say I did give my brother credit for a little more taste. He usually goes for spunky exciting women. But I'm afraid this time he's settled for a bit of a bore, hasn't he? Of course, I suppose it's more how you look that was the attraction for him...or should I say who you like?"

I bit my lip in silence. The man knew how to hit below the belt. But I held my head up high. Why should I feel insulted by anything this monster said?

"My dear deceased half-sister Renee..." he mused. "I wonder what she was like. I bet I would have adored her. She seemed to be a real spitfire type, not boring in the least. And as I understand it, she had a real attraction for her half-brothers as well."

Against my better judgment, I rose to the bait.

"I hope you're enjoying your babbling, EJ. Speaking of being dull, you are boring me silly."

"Be nice, sweetheart..." EJ threatened. "I intend to keep you around a little longer, just for kicks. But I have no problem with gagging that sweet mouth of yours if you don't keep your mouth shut. Pretty kinky, eh?"

The thought of anything kinky with EJ made me nauseous...and not with morning sickness.

"Ah, holding a lovely young lady at gunpoint in a car," EJ taunted. "Reminds me of the good old days. If only we were alone..."

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I'm sure it was some reference to a disgusting event from his past.

"Of course, you are nothing like the young lady I was with that fine night," EJ sighed with remorse. "A little mouse like you couldn't compare with her. Still, I could close my eyes and dream of her. And you could close your eyes and dream of Tony. Of course, that would be a bit of a stretch, wouldn't it? After all, I'm much younger and better looking than he is..."

I rolled my eyes underneath the blindfold.

"How long am I going to have to listen to this garbage?" I snapped. "Why don't you just kill me and put me out of my misery?"

"Not too much longer now..." he answered. "How are you doing? And how is that little baby of yours?"

I felt my blood pressure rise through the roof at his question.

"H-h-how did you know about the b-b-baby?"

"Be-be-because, sweetheart," he said, mocking my stutter. "Y-y-you t-t-told me so at the stairway landing. Remember?"

Again, I cursed my stupidity. This just hadn't been my day. How could I have so foolishly given myself away like that to a stranger? Apparently the baby was sucking up all my brain cells.

"And here we are..."

I was dragged out of the car. When the blindfold was ripped off my face, I saw that I was being taken to a dark room that looked like an ancient dungeon, macabre and horrific. Was this where the Dimeras made people disappear?

Still dressed only in my silk robe and nightgown, I was absolutely freezing.

"I come bearing gifts, cousin!" EJ announced, pushing me further into the chamber.

"Ah, time to finish what we started..."

At the sound of that harsh cadence, I gasped.

There was Andre glaring at me with an evil leer on his face, all dressed entirely in black. I turned to run away, but EJ grabbed me and pushed me back into Andre's grasp. Hysterical, I began to fight as hard as I could against him. But it was no use. He was too strong for me. Putting a hand over my mouth to stifle my screams, Andre had me in a death grip.

"Stop all of the squawking!"

"She is a beauty, if you like that type..." EJ smiled. "Spitting image of Renee. But dumb as a post. Getting her here was as easy as pie."

"Thank you for bringing her to me, cousin!" Andre answered to EJ Then he murmured threateningly in my ear. "For we have unfinished business, don't we, my little chickadee?"

I felt as if I were reliving Renee's death all over again. Past and present began to merge. And this time it was no dream. The room spun about before me crazily. I had trouble breathing.

"We brought her just in time too..." EJ answered. "I found out she was pregnant with Tony's brat. Now that would have been a bit inconvenient for our plans, wouldn't it?"

At the news, I felt Andre's grasp on me loosen somewhat, become a little less rough. And I was confused. What did he care if I was pregnant? All the more reason to murder me...

"Great timing, EJ!" Andre raved. "Your plan was superb!"

"I couldn't have done it without you, dear cousin," EJ said, his hand on the door. "And now as much as I would relish this voyeurism, I have other business to attend to. Enjoy the spoils, Andre. And please, don't leave any messy body parts lying around..."

At the thought of being dismembered, everything started to go mercifully black...as I collapsed in Andre's arms in a dead faint.

-----------------------------------------------------------

When I came to, I felt Andre cradling me in his arms and kissing me...all gentle and sweet. Maybe my pregnancy hormones were all out of whack because I was feeling really turned on by his caresses, despite his intention to murder me.

"Oh, little cat..." he murmured. "We're going to have a baby!"

"Tony?!" I gasped, seeing his familiar smile.

"Of course, didn't you know it was me?"

I honestly didn't. I had been so terrified that I hadn't even thought about the little details like the feel of his hands or his scent or anything like that.

Throwing my arms around him, I sobbed in relief.

"You mustn't get so overexcited, love," Tony said. "After all, we have a baby to think of now..."

"I only thought I was going to be raped and tortured and killed...that's all!"

"Oh, Leigh!" Tony laughed. "Give me some credit, please! EJ thinks he's the hottest rage, but there is nothing that young puppy can do that I haven't already predicted. You know what an excellent chess player I am! I've been several steps ahead of him all along. Now we must get you out of here right away before EJ suspects anything."

"How?"

"His men really work for me, of course!" he answered, shaking his head as if he were talking to the village idiot.

"Oh, yes. Of course..." I answered weakly.

Tony draped his jacket around me as we made our way through a series of tunnels. This dungeon had been underneath a series of ramshackle buildings by the riverfront.

Once in our getaway car, Tony held my hand and pulled me close to him.

"Oh, my love, I'm so glad you're safe!" he sighed. "I was so worried about you. And a baby! Leigh, you have made me such a happy and lucky man! Do you know I've always wanted to be a father? But somehow things never worked out. And I'm not so young anymore. I had more or less given up on the idea. And now..."

I felt his arm squeeze around me tightly.

"Lee, I shall be there for you and the baby every way that I can. I promise you."

His words were comforting, but I was still trembling uncontrollably from all of the shock and excitement of thinking I was about to be killed.

"How did you find me?" I asked. "How did you know I was with EJ?"

"Oh, that..." he shrugged, as if our exploit had been nothing. "I knew you were with EJ because I helped plan your kidnapping. Under the guise of Andre, of course."

"Oh."

I was still really confused.

"Tony, where have you been? If you knew I was with John and Marlena, why hadn't you tried to see me?"

"But, my love, I didn't know a thing. I went to the Salem Inn that afternoon just as I had said that I would. But the place was swarming with policemen. I did not make my presence known as the Salem PD are all too eager to arrest me for the first available unsolved crime. But I had investigators who told me what happened. My poor Leigh, you must have been so terrified!"

"I was," I admitted. "And I was worried that something had happened to you."

"No, Andre is not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. He apparently meant to do you in all on his own, regardless of EJ's instructions. My cousin has always underestimated me. He should have known that he could not get away with such an atrocity unless I was dead. It did not take long to find him."

"But where's the real Andre now?"

"He's taken care of."

I gasped with horror.

"You mean you...?"

"No, no, no..." Tony waved his hand. "I haven't murdered the cretin yet, although the thought makes my mouth water. But let's just say he is contained somewhere where he will never bother with us again..."

I was too grateful to be alive to even question the morality of Tony's actions. And Andre did deserve some comeuppance. Death was too good for him. He needed to suffer!

"After I took care of my cousin, I decided to try something completely new and different. I would impersonate Andre for a change. I had suspected that Andre and EJ were still working together and I was right. Granted, the boy threatened to kill me when he knew you had escaped...but it was not too difficult to get back into his good graces again. When Marlena saw me this morning, asking a lot of subtle but rather nosy questions, I realized that must have been where you were. It wasn't what she said but what she didn't say. So I informed EJ of your probable whereabouts in exchange for having the privilege of killing you myself."

"And EJ fell for it?"

"Of course he did. He thinks he's so brilliant, so like Stefano – but he's very predictable really."

We pulled into the garage at the Dimera Mansion.

"Ah, home at last!"

The Dimera Mansion was anything but homey! The garage was about the size of my London flat.

When I had been here before, I was so distraught that I hadn't paid much attention to anything besides Stefano's portrait. Now I saw that everything here was very old and very expensive. There were many antiques and family portraits all around. I saw a painting of Daphne Dimera in the adjoining room. Various statues of the Phoenix bird were all about the house. And of course, there was a chessboard in the corner of the living room area.

Bart came to the living room right away.

"Boss..." he said. "Things have been going nuts around here! What's going on? You gotta tell me!"

Bart took one look at me and gave me a big grin.

"HEY!!! Miss Daniels, great to see you again!"

"Hi, Bart..." I smiled wanly, pulling Tony's coat closer around my nightgown.

"We was all worried sick about you. Thought you might be six feet under or something."

Tony put a protective arm around me.

"Bart, please take a message for anyone who calls. We wish to be alone and undisturbed."

"But, Boss...there's been a couple of calls. Little Elvis called and Dr. Rolf and then...um..."

Bart stopped mid-sentence, looking at me sheepishly.

"There were some other calls."

Three guesses who those calls were from, I thought sullenly.

"Go away, Bart!" Tony said.

"Right! Welcome back, Miss Daniels!"

"Thank you, Bart."

Tony pulled me close, stroking my hair. And I wanted him so much. But I didn't want to want him...not while visions of Anna were dancing in my head.

"Alone at last," he purred, kissing my neck. "I have the Jacuzzi upstairs all ready and waiting for us, just like I promised."

"Tony, we have to talk first," I admitted with a painful sigh. "About Anna."

There. I'd said it.

"I saw you with her on the news. Just tell me the truth, Tony. Are you back together with her?"

"Oh," Tony nodded, releasing me. "Leigh, much of that was part of a set-up I created to avoid suspicion. I needed to act more like Andre to keep EJ convinced of the charade."

"And Anna was part of that plan?"

"Yes."

"That's a very convenient excuse."

"It's the truth."

"I see. And does Anna know about the charade? Does she know about me?"

"Yes."

The answer surprised me.

"She does?"

"I told her everything."

"Oh."

"Anna and I have moved on now. I told you that before. She's engaged to be married, you know."

"No, I didn't know that. Well, what was she doing here in the first place?"

"The meetings I had to go to...on the day you were attacked. There were some issues involving the estate, complications with the divorce and such...which demanded Anna to come to Salem. After I learned about what happened at the Salem Inn, I called her and begged for her help. We went out and played the glamorous couple for a while, all for EJ's benefit. She's a very great lady."

The way he spoke of her with such admiration made me so jealous.

"Why did she help you?"

"Out of gratitude, I suppose," he shrugged. "I had saved her from being killed by Stefano. I think she reevaluated her opinion of me once the truth came out. There are still hurt feelings there. But at least, she knows that I did not coldheartedly abandon her. That I had good reasons for doing so..."

"Tony...do you still love her?"

He inhaled sharply at my direct question.

"I won't lie to you," he said, considering the matter. "There is still a spark there between us. Something that could become something more, I suppose. But I am not choosing that road."

Tony grasped me in a big hug.

"Leigh, I love you..."

He kissed me on the cheek, smiling at me. For once, his charm wasn't working.

"So I'm a road now?"

"Why are you talking this way? Don't worry about Anna! Leigh, we are going to have a child together! We have so many plans to make..."

"But what if there wasn't a baby?" I asked. "Would you still want me then?"

"Oh, Good Lord, woman!" Tony cursed, losing his temper as he pulled away from me. "I love you! You know that! What more can I say to convince you?"

"And you love Anna too, don't you?"

"WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT ANNA!!!" Tony roared, his eyes flashing. "How many times do I need to tell you that Anna and I are through? I love you, Leigh! I'm choosing you! Why all of a sudden do you think so little of me?"

"Well, you didn't seem to even notice that I was gone! You didn't try to find me!"

"I did nothing for the last two weeks but try to find you!"

"Oh, really?" I raged. "Well, drinking champagne with Anna at Tuscany didn't seem like nothing to me!"

"I explained that to you before!" Tony retorted. "It was all a ruse. You don't seem to want to believe me!"

"Well, what am I supposed to think? I see your pictures with her on the television set, going to nightclubs and dancing...while I'm hiding out in fear for my life at John and Marlena's house...on the run from your insane cousin!"

"AHA!!!"

Tony pointed at me, his eyes wild with fury.

"I think I understand everything now. This is all John's doing, isn't it?"

I sighed with exasperation.

"This has nothing to do with John!"

"The hell it doesn't! It has everything to do with him. He hates me! And he'd do anything he could to destroy me!"

"Oh, please don't start with that!" I yelled back. "You were the one with Anna at those nightclubs, not John Black!"

"But he took full advantage of the scenario, didn't he?" Tony hissed, his eyes filled with venom at the thought of his enemy. "He saw how upset you were and made you doubt me. He probably told you one lie after another about me! Does he know about the baby? I can only imagine what he must have said when he found out about that!"

"Leave John alone!" I yelled, aiming my next barb to kill. "John saved me when Andre was trying to kill me. And where were you? Oh, let me guess! With Anna, right?"

Tony grasped me by the shoulders. The insane fury in his eyes truly frightened me.

"You stay away from John Black..." he hissed with a quiet threat. "I never want you near him again."

"Don't threaten me!" I retorted, shrugging him off. "I think you have me confused with one of your other ex-wives, don't you?"

Violently, Tony pulled me close and kissed me. Every nerve in my body came alive like I had been electrocuted. I was still wearing my thin silk nightgown and was all too aware of the heat and nearness of him. Wildly caught up in the excitement of our argument and passion, I threw my arms around him as I kissed him back. And as I tasted his mouth, I needed him so intensely. His hands ran all along my bare arms and shoulders, making me shiver with anticipation. Our kiss softened into something sweet and sultry, just the way I liked it.

Reluctantly, we ended the kiss, panting for breath.

"How can you doubt I want you?" Tony rasped. "When there has always been this connection between us. I love you..."

"I love you too..." I answered back, heart on my sleeve. "I'll always love you."

"Stay away from John Black, promise me..."

"If you stay away from Anna."

"It's a deal."

Covering my face with one kiss after another, Tony lifted me up and carried me up the stairs to the bedroom. Once we reached the bedroom, he placed me down on my feet, taking off my coat and robe.

"Stand there with your eyes closed..." he ordered. "And don't you dare move!"

"I love it when you're all dominating..." I teased, even though my heart was racing. "What's going on?"

"Just do it."

For a moment, Tony left the room. I sighed impatiently, waiting for him to come back. Finally, I heard his footsteps behind me.

"Tony, if this is your idea of foreplay, it really isn't working for me..."

I heard a loud pop before cold liquid splashed on my hair and all down me, blinding me.

"OH MY GOD!" I shrieked, tasting the champagne that was dribbling out of my mouth.

Tony laughed like a mischievous little boy at the sight of me. He must have just poured half a bottle of champagne over my head!

"Oh, if you could see yourself..." he chuckled. "It's priceless!"

In my wet silk nightgown and drenched hair, I must have looked like a drowned rat!

I whacked him playfully on the arm in retaliation, unable to hold back my own laughter.

"Tony Dimera" I cried out. "How dare you! You are so mean!"

"But that's how you like me, isn't it?" he crooned, pulling me close. "Isn't it?"

Grasping my hair, he gently pulled back my head until my neck was bare and exposed. And he poured champagne into my mouth and down the front of my nightgown. The taste and chill of the champagne felt so decadent. And when he ran his mouth along my throat, tasting the champagne...that was also very decadent...

"I shouldn't have too much alcohol," I whispered breathlessly. "The baby, you know..."

"Yes. Jacuzzis are probably bad for you too, aren't they?"

"Probably," I smiled as I started to unbutton his shirt.

But we didn't need to worry.

The remainder of the champagne was left untouched. And we never even made it to the Jacuzzi...


	24. The Morning After

**Ch. 24 – The Morning After**

The next morning, I was blissfully at peace, cuddled up all warm and naked beside Tony. No matter how many times that I felt hurt or betrayed by him – yes, even afraid of him, nothing ever felt so right as being by his side like this. Right or wrong, this was where I was meant to be. Again, I had that feeling like it was my destiny. I belonged here.

But there was no more time for such fanciful thoughts.

Our little bundle of joy was determined to make its presence known. Suddenly, I bolted to the bathroom, gagging in misery.

"Oh, poor dear..." Tony was sitting up in bed, looking at me with concern as I slowly made my way back into the bedroom about ten minutes later. "How you must be suffering! Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Do you have a gun?" I joked.

"Yes," he answered good-naturedly. "Of course, there is an entire arsenal of such weapons in the mansion. But that seems like an awfully permanent solution for a temporary problem, don't you agree?"

"I guess you're right. Do you have any lemons?"

"Lemons?" he asked quizzically.

"They sort of keep the morning sickness at bay. Don't ask. I don't really understand how it works either."

Tony slipped on a robe as he rose from the bed.

"I'll make sure Bart gets the kitchen completely stocked with as many lemons as you want! In the meantime, I imagine there might be lemon slices for cocktails and such. I'll see what I can find out."

I would have kissed my lover in gratitude, but I felt too disgusting. What a wretched morning to cap off such a torrid and sexy night! Could I be any more repulsive? As I made my way to the shower, I tried to think more on the bright side. If EJ had had his way, I would be all dead and hacked up by now. A little morning sickness wasn't such a big deal in comparison.

After my shower, I looked around in the closet of the Master Bedroom, hoping there was something that I could wear. All of the clothes Tony had provided for me in the bunker were hanging in the large walk-in closet. Actually, I was happy to see those expensive Renee-like clothes again. But I knew I wouldn't be able to fit in them very much longer.

Changing into a blue silk top and beige pants, I sprayed on a little perfume. That was a mistake as it seemed to trigger yet another attack of nausea.

Oh, for heaven's sake! Tony was taking forever. Where was that lemon?

Going downstairs, I heard a lot of yelling going on.

Uh oh. Trouble in paradise yet again...

"Just when I think you can't sink any lower, Dimera...!"

Oh, jeez. It was John Black.

In a panic, I hurried down the rest of the stairs, making my way to the living room.

John and Marlena were both there, facing off with Tony like gladiators at an arena.

"You get that nice kid knocked up with your demon spawn..." John railed. "And she's young enough to be your own daughter! And then you kidnap her time and again, terrorizing her! And then you have the nerve to break into our home to get to her again...and that's where you're really crossing the line, pal!"

"John, stop it!" I begged. "Please stop!"

"Leigh, go back upstairs!" Tony ordered. "I won't have this man upsetting you!"

"Tony, he's not upsetting me!"

"Leigh..." Marlena looked up, seeing me standing at the staircase landing. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm doing just fine..." I said, smiling. "Really, I am. I'm feeling a little pregnancy sickness...but other than that, I've never been better."

John looked skeptical, but Marlena zeroed in on me with her impeccable intuition.

"Yes, I can see you are doing much better," she answered, narrowing her eyes teasingly. "In fact, you're positively radiant. The pregnancy must be agreeing with you."

"Yes," I answered. "Um, the pregnancy..."

We both knew what had really agreed with me. It was that female bonding thing going on.

Regardless of our exchange, the two men were still spitting fire at each other.

Suddenly, Tony went right for John Black's throat, violently grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"I will thank you to LEAVE MY HOUSE!!!" Tony bellowed. "And stop poisoning Leigh's mind against me! She is none of your concern."

I rushed over to Tony, trying to pull him off of John. Meanwhile, Marlena reached over to me, trying to pull me off of Tony.

"Stay out of this, Leigh!" she warned, getting me away from the brawl. "You might get hurt! You have a baby to think of now..."

At the sound of Marlena's words, Tony let go of John with a shove. But I could tell that it really killed him to not pummel the life out of John Black.

Straightening his collar, John glared at Tony with a vicious scowl.

"So you actually can think about someone else besides yourself for a change..." John sniped with a shrug. "Well, maybe Leigh is a miracle worker, after all...or are you just putting on an act for her benefit?"

"GET OUT!" Tony barked. "GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

John ignored Tony's threat, turning to me.

"Leigh, if you want, you can come back with us and stay at the penthouse for as long as you need to. Dimera can't force you to live here if you don't want to. You have my word on that."

I was deeply moved by John's allegiance and had no idea what I had done to earn it. Marlena seemed pretty surprised by her husband's words as well. But Tony was becoming downright murderous!

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Tony snarled, stepping between me and John. "What?! It wasn't enough for you to steal one wife away from me? Now you're going for the next one!"

"And which wife would that be, Tony?" John hissed back. "Leigh...or Anna? I can't keep all your women straight..."

"JOHN!!!" Marlena cried out, truly appalled. "STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!"

Drawing a shaky breath, I found my voice again.

"John, Tony saved my life yesterday. He didn't kidnap me from the penthouse. EJ did. Tony saved me and brought me here."

John shook his head in disbelief.

"You seem like a sensible girl, Leigh. Why do you keep lying to protect his sorry...?"

"She's telling you the truth!" Tony interrupted.

"Yes, John, I am telling you the truth," I answered.

Moving to Tony's side, I put my arm around his waist. He was all tensed up and ready to pounce at John like a wild cat. But I felt him relax slightly as I stood beside him.

"Tony saved me. And now we are back together again, expecting this baby. We're going to be married. And I think everything is going to be okay now. Right, Tony?"

"Yes, my love. No one will ever take you away from me again."

Tony put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek, staring at John the whole time. It was a possessive gesture and a silent warning for John to stay away his territory if he wanted to stay alive.

John still glared at Tony with hatred and suspicion.

Marlena, on the other hand, looked visibly moved at the sight of us together.

"You two do make a very nice looking couple," she smiled.

"Do we?" I asked, pleased.

"You do," she answered with a playful wink.

"Are you going to do the right thing by her, DiMera?" John asked, acting like a protective father.

"Of course I am..." Tony hissed. "Not that it's any of your concern."

"Leigh called for me when she was in danger and that makes it my concern!" John answered. "She's going to have a baby. And even if the poor kid is yours, I am concerned about Leigh's well-being. Now are you going to protect her from all of your crazy relatives?"

"All I have ever done is protect Leigh," Tony answered. "From the moment we first met."

"Oh, I'd say you did a bit more than that, pal..."

I heard Tony inhale sharply as if he were getting ready to go for John's throat.

"Thank you for looking out for me, John..." I said hurriedly in an effort to avoid yet another blow-up. "And Marlena..."

I looked at her pleadingly.

"You've been such a good friend to me."

Taking my cue, she walked over and gave me a hug.

"I'm so glad that things are working out for you," she said. "And for Tony..."

The look exchanged between Tony and Marlena said so much. Perhaps after all of the bad years, there could still be something like friendship salvaged between them.

"Yes, Marlena..." Tony said. "Thank you for looking out for Leigh."

"Don't I get a thanks, Tony?" John kept on with his goading. "She called me, remember?"

I could hear Tony groan faintly as he extended a hand out to John.

"Thanks..." he said abruptly.

Marlena and I looked on in shock as the half-brothers shook hands without throwing a punch at each other.

"Well, maybe we should go now," Marlena urged. "John."

John nodded at me and then turned with Marlena to leave, oblivious to the front door being slammed behind him.

"The nerve of that man bursting into my home with all of his stupid accusations!"

"I'm glad you shook hands with John..." I confessed to Tony. "I know it wasn't easy to do, but maybe it's the first step for peace for all of us. I'm so proud of you."

He snorted in indignation and disgust, collapsing on a nearby chair.

"I only did it to get the sanctimonious fool out of my house! And out of respect to Marlena..."

"Well, whatever the reasons," I smiled, sitting on his lap. 'I'm proud of you. Now, Daddy, we have a baby to name, don't we?"

Tony smiled as he considered the bright future before us.


	25. Language of Flowers

**Ch. 25 – Language of Flowers**

"Leigh, you look so beautiful!" Jennifer smiled.

"Well, if we had waited much longer for this wedding...I'd have to walk down the aisle in a white maternity dress," I admitted sheepishly as I looked in the mirror.

As it was, I did look beautiful in the designer silk ivory wedding gown. With a hoop skirt and a low neckline, the gown looked like something Scarlett O'Hara would have worn. My aunt Renee would have been proud. My hair was pulled back with flowers and pearls, curls streaming down my back. Diamonds sparkled on the expensive necklace at my throat. It was a dream look for a dream wedding.

Tony would settle for no less than the very best for our big day. He insisted on all of the extravagance and elegance that Salem could muster up for this occasion, renting out Tuscany for the entire week beforehand in order to prepare for this evening. And he was truly in his element, directing and creating this spectacle for everyone to see. I am sure there were real royal weddings that were not nearly as ostentatious.

I swallowed nervously.

"Is everything okay, Leigh?" Jennifer asked, sensing my concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, thank goodness," I laughed. "The baby is being well-behaved today. It is just pre-wedding jitters, I guess."

"I know what you mean," she smiled. "Hey, at least your bridegroom is accounted for. I have it on good authority from Jack that Tony is practically wearing out the carpet with all of his restless pacing around. But when Jack and I got married the first time..."

Jennifer related to me the craziness of their first wedding when Jack had laryngitis and had been held up by a bunch of cowboys from a Wild West show. Everyone was worried that he wasn't going to show up. Her story had me in stitches.

"After that tale, I imagine my wedding will be pretty tame..."

"I don't know," Jennifer said. "I can't recall any weddings this grand in recent history. Not since Bo and Hope got married in England. Oh, and then there was the Justin and Adrienne Kiriakis wedding in Greece. Man, that was a big production!"

"I guess I should just be glad that Tony didn't insist on flying all the guests to Italy and marrying in some huge cathedral out there."

"Ah, I don't know. That would have been kind of fun!"

"Maybe..." I admitted.

With all of the Dimera notoriety combined with the scandal of my pregnancy, I would have been just fine to have a quiet little contract signed at City Hall. I still felt that way. I wanted Tony, not all of these fancy trappings.

"I definitely could have gone for a vacation in Italy!" Hope Brady called out as she entered the dressing room, accompanied by Marlena.

As uneasy as I was about all of the fanciness, I had to admit that I loved seeing my bridesmaids all together, garbed in elegant red gowns of satin and lace. They all looked fabulous. Of course, you could put those three ladies in potato sacks and they would still look like a million bucks.

"Oh, my gosh..." Hope raved. "Leigh, you have really outdone yourself. I'll be this bridesmaid's dress costs more than my wedding dress designed by Lee Smith."

"You'd have to ask Tony about that," I answered. "We have an arrangement. I pick the stuff and he pays the bills. He doesn't even want me to know how much anything is costing!"

"Hmmm..." Hope nodded with approval. "Seems like this marriage is already getting off on the right foot. A carte blanche wedding, followed by a romantic honeymoon in Venice. I never thought I'd say this, but maybe there are some perks to marrying a Dimera, after all."

"Hope..." Marlena chided. "Be nice."

"Sorry..." Hope said sheepishly. "That was tacky of me. This is your day and I shouldn't...well, I apologize."

"It's okay," I nodded.

I knew that my bridesmaids all had their reservations about Tony Dimera. They were there to support me more than anything else. In fact, I suspect that all of the wedding guests present were only there to support me.

"I'm just glad you all are here," I smiled.

"I just saw Tony a few moments ago..." Marlena volunteered. "I have never seen him look so handsome. And he is so eager to see you walk down the aisle."

I smiled with thanks. Marlena, as usual, always seemed to know the right thing to say to keep me calm.

There was a knock on the door. After answering, Hope returned with a large bouquet of flowers.

"For the bride..." she announced.

"Wow!" I gasped, looking at the elaborate bouquet. "How odd that I should get this. After all, most brides arrange for their own bouquets. Is there a card?"

"Yes..." Hope fiddled around through the stems. "There is an envelope here."

She handed it to me with a smile.

The envelope looked strangely aged, although the flowers were fresh and new. Dying of curiosity, I opened it up and studied it. The card was written in a florid script unfamiliar to me.

"For the bride," I read out loud to the bridesmaids. "Each flower has a meaning all its own. The daisy is for innocence. The myrtle is for love. The fennel is for strength. The silver dollars are for honesty. The fern is for fidelity. And..."

My heart pounded loudly as my words trailed off.

"Leigh," Marlena asked, worried. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," I nodded, feeling inexplicable tears come to my eyes as I continued to read. "And the white roses stand for purity. The language of flowers say 'I am worthy of you'. This bouquet is to represent your love for Tony. Think of all of these things as you are being married."

"That is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard..." Jennifer sighed. "Who is the bouquet from?"

"There is no card."

"Well, that's funny..." Marlena mused.

"Funny and weird," Hope agreed.

I nodded silently. Deep down, I knew that the white roses were no coincidence. Perhaps this was another one of Renee's messages. But there was something else I felt. A deep loss...not grieving for Renee and her death...but for someone else. And I didn't understand.

"The organist has started with the intro music," Marlena said. "Are you ready?"

I took a deep breath and nodded, unable to speak lest I burst into sobbing.

As we hurried ahead towards the banquet hall, I met up with Jack. He looked very dashing in his tuxedo as he smiled at me with boyish charms. Although he wasn't one for throwing out compliments, I could tell that he approved of how I looked. He smirked grimly with an attempt at good humor. And I couldn't help but feel my spirits return to normal as I stood by my friend.

"Well, shall we get this spectacle over with? The vampire is eagerly waiting for you in his coffin..."

"Oh, Jack!" I huffed with feigned disappointment. "Don't do this to me today of all days!"

"You know," Jack whispered, leaned over to me conspiratorially. "There's still time to make another escape. I can get you back to London lickety-split if you want. I've got the fire truck just outside. Just say the word."

"You're supposed to give me away," I reminded him with a sigh. "Not take me away. Be happy for me, Jack. Please? I do really love Tony, you know. It would mean so much to me if you gave us your blessing."

Jack melted at the sight of me.

"Well, I'm always a sucker for a beautiful glowing bride. And you are really very lovely today, Leigh."

"Thanks, Jack."

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"I hope Dimera appreciates you," Jack said. "He's getting a helluva wife. And I'm losing a helluva reporter."

"Who says I'm quitting?"

"Well, chasing after a lead story with a diaper bag, stroller and toddler in tow will be a pretty neat trick."

"You may be right about that," I acknowledged with some frustration.

Silently, we walked down the hallway towards the ballroom. I could hear the beginning strains of _The Wedding March_ playing in the background.

As I entered the grand banquet hall of Tuscany, I could hear the stunned sighs of exclamation at the sight of me in the elaborate wedding dress. It was surreal seeing all of the guests turning to watch me. The Bradys, the Hortons, the Carvers, the Kirakis', the Blacks, the Johnsons...and others. Some of the faces were familiar. Some were not.

As a Dimera wedding was a major media event, there were tons of photographers flashing cameras at me, blinding me. But through all of the chaos and flash and razzle dazzle, I saw Tony across the aisle, grinning at me with pride. Marlena was right. He had never been so handsome. Attired in black tie and tails with a wide white and gray-striped cravat, he looked as if he had come from another time...an age of elegance and grace. Slowly, I made my way down the aisle...unable to take my eyes off of him.

Tony had wanted a Catholic ceremony with as much Italian heritage and tradition as possible. While I could not understand the Italian phrases that the official would occasionally say, the words in their lilting tones sounded like music.

Finally, we exchanged simple gold rings as we made our vows to each other.

"You may now kiss the bride..."

I was now truly a DiMera, by blood and marriage...

---------------------------------------

_At last, my love has come along..._

Chloe Black, especially flown in from Europe for this command performance in Salem, began to sing for us in sultry tones. Her husband, Brady, was beaming at her from his table in the reception hall. And her voice was perfect for this wonderful night.

_My lonely days are over...and life is like a song..._

Tony and I whirled around the large ballroom, engaging in our first dance as man and wife.

"So how does it feel to be a Contessa?" Tony asked me with a gentle smile.

"I guess I am a Contessa now, aren't I?" I mused. "Well, I have to get used to the title, but as for being Mrs. Antony Dimera...I am so deliriously happy. I'm not used to feeling this way. I'm not sure I can take it."

"You'll simply have to get used to it..." Tony grinned, spinning me around into a dip. "Because I am never going to let you go."

"Promise?"

"You have my word on it."

We kissed sweetly, causing a little applause to erupt throughout the room.

"I do have one complaint though..."

"Really? And what is that?"

"This reception is taking too darned long!" I pouted playfully. "I'm ready to go on to the wedding night and the honeymoon now. Why can't we just send all of these people home?"

Tony roared with laughter.

"Or we could make an early exit? I'd be okay with that."

"Whatever happened to that innocent little Pollyanna in the bunker?"

"She met up with a terribly attractive stranger who taught her how to tango. Ever since then, she has become quite insatiable..."

"Mmmm...insatiable, is she?" he purred. "Soon, my bride. Just remember, a little anticipation can go a long way..."

I licked my lips with the dreamy prospect.

"And then there will be the honeymoon when I have you all to myself in Venice...naked in the moonlight..."

I closed my eyes dreamily, relishing the image as Tony kissed me sweetly on the mouth.

"Jeez, why don't they get a room?"

I giggled as I heard the snide comment as we danced along.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Sounded suspiciously like Kate Roberts to me," Tony answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"Oh," I smiled. "Well, I'm not surprised. She's been glaring daggers at me all night. I think she's horribly jealous. Sami Brady looks pretty envious too. Lots of women here have been glaring at me, wishing they were in my place. And I don't blame them one bit."

"Well, too bad for them. I'm spoken for now."

"Yes! And don't you forget it!"

Leaning my head against Tony's shoulder, I happily took in the sight of the other guests as we whirled around. Bo and Hope and Jack and Jennifer and...just a quick glimpse of...

No!

"What is wrong?" Tony asked, feeling me stiffen against him.

"EJ..." I gasped softly. "I saw EJ! He's here!"

He shook his head resolutely.

"That is impossible," he said. "The security here is impeccable. There is no way he could get in. What's more, he would not dare disrupt my wedding."

Even so, Tony glanced about quickly.

"It was just a flash..." I said. "And then he was gone. Maybe you're right. Maybe I just mistook someone else for him."

"I am sure that is the case."

"Okay, you lovebirds..." Maggie interrupted, always the gracious hostess. "We need to get you two to cut your wedding cake before the dance floor spontaneously combusts from all of those kisses!"

Tony indulgently smiled as he took me by the arm, escorting me to the table with the huge cake. For a moment, we posed for the photographers, kissing once and then again.

"Hey, enough mushy stuff!" Will Roberts called out. "Cut the cake already!"

We laughed as we both put our hands on the cake cutter, sliding it down into the thick white icing...

A loud deafening boom resounded throughout the banquet hall. The impact of the explosion caused both of us to collapse onto the floor. Everything seemed to move in surreal slow motion as Tony rolled over so that he was shielding me with his body as debris rained down from the ceiling. The air was thick with smoke and dust. I could not seem to stop coughing.

"Leigh, are you all right?" Tony asked frantically.

"Yes, I think so."

Miserably, I looked around, helplessly seeing the happiest day of my life metamorphose into a bloodbath. There was chaos everywhere with people screaming and running. There was a fire in one part of the room. Part of a wall collapsed in another section.

"EJ will pay for this..." Tony swore. "He will pay with his life!"

"We'll worry about him later," I said. "Right now, we just need to make sure that..."

My words trailed off as I saw a limp female hand underneath a collapsed piece of Tuscany ceiling.

"Oh, my God!"

Roman Brady, John, Jack and Tony all worked to move the piece of collapsed ceiling off of the victim.

"Oh, my God!" Jack cried out frantically. "Jennifer!"

When I saw my dear friend broken and helpless upon the ground, I could not stop sobbing.


	26. The Strongest Bond

**Ch. 26 – The Strongest Bond**

"That bomb was meant for you, wasn't it?"

Looking up from a dizzy haze, I saw Abby Deveraux stand before me. Wearing the same floral print dress that she had on at the wedding, the lovely teenager appeared to be an avenging angel. Hands on her hips, she glared at me angrily with tears in her eyes.

Tony and I had been sitting side by side in the hospital waiting room for hours, desperate for news on how Jennifer was doing. We, along with so many of the other wedding attendees, looked like escaped monsters from an old horror film. Tony's hair was mussed up, his evening clothes smudged with smoke and dust stains. I had his coat wrapped around me, hiding my torn and bloodied wedding dress from view.

Even as we were speaking, victims from the bombing were still being rushed into the Salem Hospital Emergency Room. I grimaced as I saw burn victims and those in shell shock. So many people who had suffered so horribly; and I had nothing but a few scrapes and bruises. And I felt more than a little survivor's guilt.

And here was Jennifer's daughter, wanting an explanation for why her mother was suffering. I had no answers for her.

Tony squeezed my hand encouragingly as he answered her.

"We don't know enough of the details yet. The police are looking into it."

"My mother shouldn't be in there!" Abby cried out.

"I know that, Abby," I answered. "We all know that. And I am so sorry."

"Are you?" Abby cried out incredulously. "I grew up without my Dad for a long time. And then I thought he was dead because of you, Tony DiMera!"

I bit my tongue to keep from explaining once again that Andre DiMera had been responsible for her family's suffering. But now was not the time to quibble over details.

"But Mom..."

Abby began to sob in helpless tears. I could not help but rise up and try to hug her.

"Don't touch me!!" Abby started, all but pushing me away. "It should be you in there! You're the one married to a criminal! You're the one that the bomb was meant for! God, I wish it was you in there! I WISH IT WAS YOU!!!"

Abby's grief broke my heart. I couldn't help but cry too. It hadn't been all that long ago when I had lost my own adoptive parents. I knew all too well how lost and helpless she felt.

"Abby..." I sobbed. "I know you don't mean that..."

"YES, I DO!!!"

"But you must remember that your mother is still alive. She's going to make it..."

"Yes," Tony answered, putting a comforting arm around my waist. "Your mother is a strong woman. I have every confidence that she will survive."

"No thanks to you..." she bit back angrily at Tony. "You've done everything you could to make her life a living hell, and now..."

"Abigail!"

Jack, obviously being alerted to Abby's meltdown, left Jennifer's side in the ICU unit to console his daughter.

"Abigail..." he said softly, working very hard to keep from collapsing into hysterics himself as he hugged her. "Please...you have to be strong for your mother. Make her proud. We've been through so much. We can get through this. It's a piece of cake, right?"

"Dad, I'm so scared..."

"Me too, Abigail..." Jack whispered. "Me too."

I turned away from Jack and Abby and walked to the hospital lounge, unable to bear witness to their agony any longer. Before I knew it, I was having my own meltdown. Immediately, Tony was by my side, holding me close.

"God...Tony..." I sobbed. "Why did this have to happen? Why?"

"I know," he soothed, stroking my hair. "Shush. I know."

"Abby's right. It should have been me."

"No!"

Tony pulled back and grasped my face in both hands.

"You mustn't talk that way. I won't let you think like that. Leigh, you must try to calm down. Think of the baby."

I took some deep breaths, nodding as I did so.

We saw that Jennifer's doctor was in the hospital lobby, talking to Jack and Abby. Apparently, the news was not good. Abby broke down yet again until her friends, Chelsea and Stephanie, offered to take her to the cafeteria where she could pull herself together. And Jack sat alone, disconsolate.

"Listen, I can't just sit here like this, doing nothing..." Tony confided to me. "I am going to call Abe Carver, see if he has any news about what's going on with the investigation. Will you be alright here?"

"Sure," I nodded sadly. "Go ahead."

I knew that Tony was restless and uncomfortable in the face of such raw emotion. So was I.

Looking around, I saw there were clusters of people around, spread throughout the hospital...all there for Jennifer. She was so loved and cherished throughout Salem. It was hard to think of a woman so full of life lying there in that hospital bed, fighting for her own survival.

"Jack..." I said, sitting down in the chair next to him. "How is she?"

"They don't know if she's going to make it..." he answered, his eyes glazed with shock.

"I'm so sorry, Jack...I'm so sorry for everything."

Something in Jack's expression hardened as he turned to face me.

"How can you..."

He stopped himself from continuing.

"Jack, if you have something to say to me, please say it."

"No, it's your wedding day and..."

"Jack, the wedding has officially proven to be a disaster. We've never kept things from each other. Tell me what's on your mind."

"OK," he agreed grimly. "But remember you asked for it. How can you have the gall to sit there and apologize to me when you must have known that something like this was going to happen all along?"

I looked at Jack, stunned.

"Jack, how can you possibly think that I would have known that this was going to happen?"

"EJ Wells has tried to kill you how many times now?" he hissed. "And with this big spectacle of a wedding, it was just too good for him to resist. How could you put so many people in danger by going through with this wedding?"

"Jack, EJ was on the run!" I said in self-defense. "We had no way of knowing he was going to disrupt our wedding. And Tony had airtight security all over the place..."

"Oh, yes, it was airtight all right!" Jack interrupted, his blue eyes cold with fury. "So airtight that my wife might..."

He couldn't even continue.

"Jack, you mustn't think that way," I begged. "Please...I know Jennifer will be okay. She has to be okay."

"There wasn't one guest there for Tony, do you know that?" Jack challenged. "They were all there for you, Leigh! Every single one of them. Those were your friends because Tony doesn't have any friends! He has done too much to hurt everyone here in Salem. And this..."

Jack gestured around the hospital bleakly.

"This is just one more DiMera horror story...maybe the worst one of all. Why couldn't you have had the decency to just elope? Why did you have to make a big show out of it, with your fancy party and flowers and wedding dress? Were you so anxious to flaunt your newly-found wealth and title in front of everyone? Was Tony that hot to flaunt the next DiMera heir? So much so that you'd put everyone in danger, regardless of the price?"

I was horrified to hear Jack talking to me this way.

"No!" I cried out. "No! Absolutely not! Jack, you're upset about Jennifer. And that's why you're saying this stuff to me. But, believe me, Tony would never..."

"Oh, spare me the excuses," Jack interrupted, unwilling to listen to me. "You always have an excuse for Tony, don't you? No matter what he does or who he hurts..."

I didn't know what to say.

"All I know is that whenever I'm anywhere near that man, someone in my family gets hurt. And this time, it's..."

Jack's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he struggled to say his wife's name.

"It's Jennifer..." His voice cracked with emotion. "A woman who has never hurt anyone. You know, I didn't want to even go to your wedding, Leigh. I'll tell you the truth. I think Tony Dimera's poison for you, whether you're having his baby or not. But Jennifer...she always believes in the best in people. She kept comparing you and Tony to us. She said that you would change Tony and make him into a decent guy. That's how she is. She always believes that true love conquers all..."

If looks could kill, Jack would have slain me right there on the spot.

"But the fact is you're not changing Tony DiMera," he remarked cruelly. "He's changing you...into someone I don't even know anymore. You've become a DiMera through and through, haven't you? You've become someone who is selfish and irresponsible and dangerous and..."

"That's enough, Deveraux!"

Tony's voice startled me as I turned around. My husband's expression was hard, impenetrable, as he glared at Jack with restrained viciousness.

"Out of respect to the pain you are going through, I will not acknowledge your rudeness to my wife," he said in that lethal quiet way of his. "But I cannot allow you to upset the mother of my child this way. Come, Leigh. There's nothing more we can do here."

"Yes, I'd say you've done plenty as it is..." Jack snarled back.

"Tony..." I started. "I really don't feel right going home right now...not when Jennifer is..."

"I must insist," Tony interrupted, brooking no argument.

"Is that what your marriage is going to be like, Leigh?" Jack retorted, furiously staring down Tony. "Are you going to spend the rest of your life being bullied around by him?"

Tony opened up his mouth, undoubtedly to lash out with a vicious retort.

Before there was yet another unpleasant exchange between the two men, I interceded.

"No, I guess Tony is right. I am tired and I should probably go home. But please call me if there's any change with Jennifer."

"Enjoy the honeymoon in Venice..." Jack snarled. "I'm sure it's lovely in Italy this time of year. And please, don't forget to send Jennifer a 'Get Well' card..."

If there was a nearby hole, I would have crawled into it somewhere.

"Again, Jack, I'm very sorry..."

Jack did not acknowledge my apology.

"You also have my condolences," Tony added.

Jack sniffed at his words in disdain.

As Tony grimly took my arm, I felt the accusing stares and whispers all around us throughout the hospital. The entire Horton clan would cheerfully have burned us both at the stake at that moment. I felt deserving of the hatred. Yes, I had been foolish and irresponsible, allowing Tony to have his big wedding. I supposed I had been carried away by my dreams. What girl wouldn't want to have a dream wedding, marrying her prince with all of the pomp and ceremony possible? But I should have seen the bigger picture. EJ had tried to kill me twice before. Jack was right. Such an event had to have proven such a temptation for his next attack.

Tony and I were silent as we went to our limousine parked outside of the hospital. Even Bart looked sad as he opened the car door for me.

The ride to the DiMera mansion was horribly awkward. What could you say when your wedding day turned into a nightmare? Tony and I should have been toasting our new marriage with champagne. We should have been necking in the car on our way to the airport.

While I knew that Jennifer was going through much, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself too. This was so damned unfair for my wedding to turn out this way!

I looked longingly at Tony, needing desperately to hear some words of comfort or wisdom from him. But as it was, my groom was coldly withdrawn as he sullenly stared out of the car window.

The tension in the air seemed to get to be too much even for Bart.

"Sorry things turned out the way they did, Boss..." he said sheepishly as he pulled into the garage of the Dimera Mansion. "That really sucked. Hell of a way to start out on a honeymoon, isn't it?"

I grimaced, expecting Tony to lose his temper with his manservant. But he was eerily silent, so much so that he scared me.

As Bart helped me out of the car, I looked nervously across the way at Tony.

"Tony...what are we going to do?"

As if pulled out from some distant dark cave of his soul, Tony looked at me blankly at first. But then he took my arm as he led me into the house, patting my hand distractedly as I were just an inquisitive little child.

"You're going to get some much-needed rest," he answered.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I have some family business to take care of."

I didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Family business with EJ?"

Tony shook his head, refusing to explain as he went to a nearby bar and poured himself a glass of sherry.

"The less you know, the better off you are. Bart, please escort my wife to our bedroom."

"No!" I cried out, shrugging away from Bart. "Wait a minute! You mean you're going to spend our wedding night plotting out revenge against EJ?"

Tony shrugged coldly.

"Consider it my wedding gift to you," he answered. "Little Elvis will never be a problem for us again."

The murderous tone in Tony's voice truly frightened me. I had never seen him appear so brutal and ruthless before...looking for all the world like a shark about to strike out at his victim. I felt as if I no longer knew him.

I left Bart's side, going over to Tony, trying to reach him somehow...

"Please, Tony, why don't we just let the police handle it and...?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Leigh!" Tony barked, turning to face me. "You know the police are utterly useless in this situation. Don't you understand? The DiMeras are at war! And this time, little Elvis has gone too far!"

"So what?" I asked hysterically. "So you're going to kill him? So you're going to actually become the villain that everyone says you are?"

"I am not doing it to be evil, Leigh. It is a matter of survival! Your survival...and our child's!"

"There's got to be another way..."

"THIS IS NOT A GAME, LEIGH!!!" Tony yelled at me. "When EJ planted that bomb, he signed his death sentence! There is no room for compromise here. It is a fight to the finish. That is what Father taught Elvis...and it's the only thing that he understands."

"Don't you see that by killing EJ, you are becoming just like him? And just like Stefano! You are becoming like the very men that you hate! The men who tortured you and brainwashed you for all of those years..."

"With all due respect, my dear, you haven't a clue of what you're talking about."

"The hell I don't!"

"Bart, please take her to her room."

Bart, becoming very frustrated, grabbed me by the arm.

"Come on, Mrs. D," Bart coaxed. "Maybe the Boss will chill out in the morning. Come on now. Little Baby D needs sleep too."

"Yes, darling."

Tony came up to me and kissed me on the cheek.

"You and the baby need your rest. And don't wait up for me."

"Why would I wait up for you?" I snapped churlishly. "It's only our wedding night!"

But I might as well have been talking to a stone wall!

Seeing that Tony had made up his mind to be an idiot, I shrugged away from Bart once more, turned and stormed towards the Master Bedroom.

"Bart..." I heard Tony say behind me. "We must set up a meeting for the morning with the usual suspects..."

Seething with frustration and anger, I ripped off what was left of my wedding gown, not even bothering with the buttons. It wasn't as if the dress could be salvaged after the bomb's damage anyhow.

I hadn't been sure how this night would going to turn out after all that had happened. Realistically, I didn't expect a romantic evening, but I didn't expect my husband to turn all gangster on me either! This was so unfair. I was supposed to be having delicious sex with my husband. I was supposed to be jetting off to Venice for my honeymoon. I was not supposed to be trapped up here like a useless trophy wife while my husband was downstairs, plotting EJ's demise.

With no small amount of depression, I put on the pretty lacy blue nightgown I had purchased just for tonight. It had been so perfect, just setting off my increasingly curvy body. The negligee made me look sexy without seeming too pregnant. Earlier this morning, I had laid it across the bed in eager anticipation for this night. Many times throughout the reception, I had thought of how I would look in it. And more importantly, how Tony would look at me as I was wearing it.

So much for my happy ending...

Lying upon the bed and staring out in the darkness, sleep was impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Tony's cold hatred or Jennifer's unconscious body or Jack's agonized grief. And I cursed out EJ repeatedly as I tossed and turned.

Perhaps I should not be so judgmental of Tony because I yearned to kill EJ myself. How dare that insolent jerk destroy my wedding day? When would he leave me in peace? When would he stop trying to kill me...as if he were trying to exterminate me like a bug? Could I help it if I was a DiMera?

And I could not bear seeing Tony go down the dark path that he was taking. At last, I had truly seen the dark side of him that belonged to Stefano. I felt as if we were on a wild rollercoaster ride and we couldn't get off. More of the DiMera Curse...

Rising from the bed, I began to pace. I wished Tony were with me. Even if he were angry and arguing with me, even if he was cold and insufferable...

I just hated this barrier between us. And if Tony followed through with this madness, it would only get worse.

Cracking open the bedroom door, I peeked out in the darkness of the hallway. I strained to see if I could hear Tony and Bart talking. But I heard nothing. And yet...

In the corner of my eye, I saw a light coming from one of the nearby guest rooms in the hallway. Was Tony planning on sleeping there tonight instead of with me? Had he really grown that distant from me in a matter of hours?

Furiously, I stalked over to the room and flung open the door.

And then I gasped in shock...for I knew this room.

It was Renee's room!

The room that haunted my dreams.

I entered the room slowly as if I were sleepwalking. Scared, yet fascinated as well...

Stefano and Tony must have left this room untouched over the years. There was the bed where she had made love to Tony. There was the dressing room table where she had primped in the mirror while lustily drinking from a champagne glass. And there alongside of the bed must have been where her body had lain that night after her murder.

The thought chilled me, causing me to shiver with cold.

But what really freaked me out was the sight of my wedding bouquet lying upon the bed. The mystery bouquet consisting of daisies and myrtle and fennel and silver dollars and fern...and white roses...

Lying beneath the bouquet upon the bed was a bound brown leather album.

Carefully, I sat upon Renee's bed, feeling as if I were in a sacred place. And I opened the album, sure that Renee somehow wanted me to explore this latest mystery.

To my surprise, there was only a handwritten letter inside, framed within the pages.

Hands shaking, I began to read it.

--------------------------------

_Dear Stefano,_

_There comes a time in every life when the meaning of that life becomes clear. I've been waiting for so long to find it. And I have recently. My life had very little purpose, very little focus, until I came to the realization that I could not exist alone. No one can exist alone. I've been put on this earth with eyes to see and ears to hear and lips to tell, with a heart to feel and a soul to enjoy. And I must drink in life until I can drink no more. _

_Stefano, I now realize that I must first of all trust as I trusted when I was a babe, trusting no one but my mother and father. Having faith that I would be nurtured by you and I saw that while I am indeed an individual, I did not create myself. I was given first to two people. People who would always be a part of my life. No matter how many miles separate us or how many emotions separate us, we are parts of each other. Life supports of each other. And we must each understand that family is the strongest bond of all. A tie that can never be broken. A tie that holds duties and responsibilities as well as privileges. I have exercised the privileges too long and I must now acknowledge my duties and responsibilities and savor them for they are what make life worth living. _

_We've been apart too long. My wish is that this sad state should end. And we will be family once again. _

_I need you, Stefano. I need you, Father. _

_All that matters are the ties of blood and family. I am your family and you are mine._

_Your loving son, Tony_

--------------------------------

As I finished the letter, my cheeks were streaked with tears. Just when I thought that I had no more tears to cry...

The emotion was so palpable in this letter that I could feel it intensely. No wonder that Stefano and Tony seemed bound together, no matter how murderous or dysfunctional the circumstances. Tony would never be free of his father, whether they were related by blood or no. He could never be free of his DiMera heritage...any more than I could be free of my own.

_I am very proud to be a DiMera..._

The words echoed in my mind over and over. Renee's words from some distant place in the past...

And I had my answer.

Placing the letter reverently back on Renee's bed, I left her room and returned to the Master Bedroom.

I would no longer be afraid and ashamed to be a DiMera.

I made this promise not just for myself, but for Tony and our child.

I would embrace being a DiMera...from now on.

First, I would have to find a way to manage my unmanageable husband.

And then I would need to take the next step...to face Stefano...the Phoenix himself.

And I would not be afraid.

A DiMera is never afraid...


	27. The Price of Revenge

**Ch. 27 – The Price of Revenge**

For a while, I simply paced along the hallways of the DiMera Mansion, turning the events of the last two days over in my mind. Like it or not, Tony was right. This was a brutal fight with EJ for our family's survival. There was the sheer physical danger that we were in with every attack. And then there was the very real possibility that EJ was going to drive Tony into doing something unforgivable.

I remembered hearing Tony instruct Bart about meeting with the 'usual suspects'. Obviously, this would be when he would start putting his revenge plot into motion. That was the most immediate concern.

Looking blankly at the portraits in the hallway, I saw a portrait of my lookalike ghost aunt. What would Renee do? I wondered. One thing would be certain. She would not sit passively by and watch Tony destroy himself. She would take matters into her own hands somehow. That was what I needed to do.

But how?

After some time, I considered a plan. It was risky and only a quick fix...but at least it would delay Tony from going down the path to murder.

About a half hour later, I ventured downstairs.

Bart was hunched over Tony's desk and scribbling away on a notepad.

Excellent, I smiled to myself. So far, so good.

Leisurely, I sauntered over to the bar and began to mix myself a Rum and Coke. Ever so carefully, I slipped in two sleeping tablets. It was strictly over-the-counter stuff I had fished out from my purse. I wished I had something a little more foolproof, but I could only work with what I had immediately available. Mixing it carefully, I began to stir at the glass very loudly with a spoon until I got Bart's attention.

"Hey!"

I smiled softly as Bart took the bait.

"Hey! Hey!"

Bart came over to me, looking a bit like a mother hen.

"Mrs. D, what do you think you're doing with that?"

He gestured at my drink.

"Why, Bart, what do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to drink booze when you're in the family way!" he lectured. "Don't they teach you girls anything in school no more?"

I took the glass to my lips, only pretending to take a sip.

"I know, Bart, but it's been such a ghastly day. One little drink won't hurt..."

"Look, Mrs. D..." Bart started to break out into a sweat as he grabbed the glass from me. "I can't let you drink this stuff. I seen how booze can mess up a baby. If the Boss knew that I let you do this, he'd kill me! Besides, he's already gone upstairs looking for you. You'd better go up there."

"Bart, that is my drink!" I argued, reaching for the glass. "What do you think you're doing? Come on!"

"No dice, Mrs. D," Bart said, firm in his decision before gulping down the drink in one fell swoop. It was all I could do not to smile in satisfaction. "Now the Count don't need to know about this. What happens in the living room stays in the living room. But just go upstairs and go be with your husband like a good mommy-to-be, 'kay?"

"Well, with you around, I guess I have no choice!" I huffed, pretending to storm off to my room.

The first part of the plan went off without a hitch.

Bart would be out like a light and in no condition to set up the meeting with Tony's criminal friends in the morning.

Now came the riskiest part of the plan.

Bart was simple enough to manipulate. My husband would not be so easy.

Still, Tony had one major weakness that I was all too familiar with. And I intended to exploit that weakness to my full advantage tonight...although I was not at all certain that I would enjoy it. I was tired and depressed and scared and angry, not really in a romantic mood at all.

After climbing back upstairs, I paused and looked at myself in the hallway mirror. Thankfully, I didn't look like I'd been up for two days in a row without any sleep. And the nightgown was still fabulous. Nodding with grim satisfaction, I tightened my robe around my waist as I forged my way towards the Master Bedroom.

Tony was in killer mode, pacing around the bedroom furiously. In his glasses and silk robe, he looked adorable. A strange mix of huggable teddy bear and ferocious tiger.

"Where have you been?" he barked at the sight of me. "I couldn't imagine where you'd gone off to! I almost called for Bart to comb the mansion for you!"

At first, I nearly snapped back at him. Just because he was now married to me didn't mean he had the right to be so darned mean and bossy to me!

But I swallowed back my anger calmly.

Squabbling with my husband tonight was not part of the Master Plan. And I had to focus on the main objective at hand.

"I was just wandering around the house a little," I answered with a shrug. "Looking at some of the other rooms."

"Well, it's stupid of you to be wandering around alone after all that's happened!"

I bit my lip, trying so hard not to lose my temper. I could hardly succeed with my seduction if I came off as a shrew.

"I'm sorry, Tony..." I said sweetly, going over to wrap my arms around him. "I didn't mean to worry you. I'm just so wound up after everything. And I can't sleep. I keep hearing that bomb go off again and again. And when I think about poor Jennifer..."

Sincere tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of my friend.

For a moment, Tony looked at me warily. But then his expression softened.

"Poor darling," he soothed, pulling me closer in our embrace. "Things didn't go at all as we had planned, did they?"

"No," I admitted sadly.

"And here I am, roaring at you on top of everything else..." he said. "I'm sorry for being such a beast."

"Forget it," I answered, rubbing my cheek against his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're here with me. I feel so safe with you."

Tony loved playing the big strong protector; and I was taking complete advantage of that fact. I felt kind of guilty for manipulating him in such a way. But what did Machiavelli always say? The end justified the means...

"I knew I should never have come near you," Tony cursed. "I'm no good for any woman. Just look at what happened..."

"Don't say that!" I interrupted, genuinely horrified by his words and the sadness in his voice. "I'll never regret marrying you, Tony. Not ever."

"I believe you mean that."

"Of course I do," I answered firmly. "I love you."

"I love you too...so much."

"Just hold me..." I begged. "Hold me tight and never let me go."

"Never..." he answered, kissing my hair. "Now you should try to get some sleep. You must be exhausted..."

"I don't see how I'll be able to..." I protested.

"You just need to relax, that's all..."

"I can't possibly relax.

Tony took my hand, leading me to the bed.

"I have an idea," he said with a naughty grin. "Lie down on the bed."

"What are you up to?" I asked with a wary smile.

"I'm going to help you relax."

With a soft sigh, I took off my robe and reclined on the bed. I heard Tony's sharp intake of breath as he saw the sexy nightgown. With my eyes closed, I pretended like I didn't notice his reaction.

"OK," I said. "Now what?"

"Turn over..." he ordered, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Obeying, I turned onto my stomach and felt Tony's hands at my bare shoulders. As he started to massage my back and arms, I moaned softly with surprised pleasure. His hands on my skin were pure magic. Sure enough, I began to relax for real as his strong fingers kneaded into my muscles. Funny, I had come to the bedroom with the intention of seducing him. But now I felt like I was the one being won over as my senses came alive with familiar passion and longing.

"You're so beautiful..."

"And you've got great hands..." I sighed happily.

"Ah, I can tell you're feeling better now..."

"You know I am," I purred. "You always know just how to touch me."

I felt his mouth on the back of my neck, trailing along my shoulder.

"Perhaps...there is something we can both do to...feel better..." he whispered along my ear. "If you'd like."

"Mmmm...I'd like very much..."

Turning onto my back, I reached up for him. My husband smiled gently at me, his eyes sparkling with dark promise as he leaned down to kiss me. Even after everything that had happened, he could still take my breath away.

And for a while, everything was all right. Lost in each other's arms, we forgot about everything else as we made love again and again.

Afterwards, I even almost forgot about my plan. Almost...

Lying sated and happy beside my sleeping husband, I was dangerously close to simply dozing off into dreamland. But then I remembered what I needed to do.

With a monumental effort, I reached over to the alarm clock on the side of our bed and pulled the electrical plug. I was satisfied to see the red digital numbers of the clock go dark.

There would be no meeting tomorrow morning.

-----------------------------

Tony had been quite exhausted. He was still passed out asleep by late afternoon, well past whenever the meeting would have taken place.

With my stomach growling fiercely, I simply had to sneak downstairs to the kitchen and get something to eat. The little baby DiMera was already making its fierce appetite known. I caught a glimpse of Bart slumped over the desk, snoring loudly as I tiptoed into the kitchen.

After devouring some cereal and yogurt, I crept back into bed, pretending to be asleep.

At first, Tony cuddled close to me, all sweet and warm and lovable. But I knew that moment would not last.

And it didn't.

"DAMN IT!"

Even though I expected it, I still jumped out of my skin at the sound of his vicious cursing.

"Something wrong?" I yawned.

"Why didn't the alarm clock go off?" he asked angrily. "It's unplugged. Did you do this?"

"No..." I lied, looking at him wide-eyed. "Why would I turn off the alarm?"

"Well, it couldn't have turned off by itself!"

I giggled and covered my mouth.

"What's so funny?" he hissed.

"I bet we might have accidentally caused the plug to pull out last night. Remember when we...um...?"

Tony groaned in agony at the taboo memory, still cursing under his breath.

"I am glad you're so amused," he lashed out at me angrily. "It's only our entire future lying upon an appointment I missed today!"

"I'm sorry, Tony."

"Even so, Bart should have knocked on the door or something!" Tony growled, rising up from the bed and throwing on his robe. "What do I pay that idiot for? Well, this is his last day working for me! I should have fired him long ago..."

"Tony, maybe you're just overreacting a little..."

"No, I've suffered his incompetence for too many years! I know you're fond of him, but this is just too much..."

Consumed by guilt, I put on my own robe and followed Tony down to the living room. Some DiMera I was turning out to be. I should just let Bart get his head chopped off and write it off as collateral damage. But I couldn't just sit by and watch an innocent man be fired, even if the end did justify the means.

Bart was still in the same position he was in earlier that morning.

"BART!" Tony barked. "You stupid fool!"

Bart mumbled something unintelligible, still in mid-slumber.

Tony took off his house slipper and threw it at Bart's head.

"Look out!" Bart cried, waking with a start as he protectively shielded his eyes as if he were dodging a bomb. Once the coast was clear, he looked around blinking. "Hey, Boss, what's up?"

"Obviously, you weren't..." Tony snapped. "Do you realize what time it is?"

"Oh, jeez!" Bart cursed after looking at his watch. "The meeting was supposed to be three hours ago!"

"Please don't bother trying to impress me with your mathematical genius..."

"What happened?"

"We've only lost credibility with our most important family contacts," Tony raved. "That's all! And here you were sleeping the day away. No, make that the afternoon away!"

Bart looked stunned, rubbing his face in confusion.

"I don't understand how I could have conked out like that. I'm usually a light sleeper."

"Your services will no longer be needed here, Bart."

"WHAT?"

Bart began to freak out.

"But, Boss, we've been through too much together. You can't do this to me."

"Just watch me..." Tony sniped.

"But...but..."

I couldn't bear it any longer.

"Tony, please. Give Bart a chance, will you?"

"WHY SHOULD I?" Tony snapped angrily.

"It was my fault," I confessed. "I was trying to have a little Rum and Coke last night. Bart knew it wasn't good for the baby; so he grabbed the drink and drank it before I could. And it was pretty strong."

Bart was stupid, but not so stupid that he couldn't figure out how to save his own skin.

"Yeah!" he nodded vigorously. "I think I have a whole new layer of hair on my chest from that Rum and Coke too! You really ought to lay off of the booze, Mrs. D!"

Tony narrowed his eyes at me.

"Leigh, what could have possessed you to endanger the child that way? And that's so unlike you. You don't even drink coffee these days."

"I know," I nodded sheepishly. "It was just such a hard day with what happened to Jennifer and I felt like I just needed something to unwind. You know the state I was in last night. Don't blame Bart. It wasn't his fault."

"Thanks, Mrs. D..."

Bart grinned with a salute.

"Bart, please leave us..." Tony said coldly, glaring at me.

"Sure, Boss."

Once we were alone, Tony started in on me.

"You're responsible for the missed meeting, aren't you?"

"Well..."

"Oh, don't bother to lie! It's obvious. You unplugged the alarm clock. And you drugged Bart. I don't believe for a second that you would actually take a drink in your condition. And then there was last night...and that nightgown..."

I couldn't even think of a rebuttal.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" he roared. "You've messed up my entire plan against EJ. Do you realize that?"

I sighed in despair, realizing that the game was up. Obviously, I still had a lot to learn about plotting and subterfuge.

"Tony, I'm only trying to save you from making a terrible mistake!" I confessed. "Murder is not necessary. I have a better idea of how to handle the situation."

"What?" Tony asked wearily, making an attempt at calming himself. "We invite Elvis over for tea and try to civilly talk the whole thing out?"

"No," I sighed. "Of course not. I think I should talk to my grandfather."

There was a moment of tense silence between us.

"Stefano?" Tony asked, shocked.

"Yes."

"Dear 'Father' is hopefully dying a very slow and painful death in an undisclosed location in Italy," he said matter-of-factly. "Of what use could he be now?"

"He is the only one EJ might listen to. If I could just get Stefano to make him see reason..."

"Since when is Stefano reasonable? Remember who you're talking about! Besides, I don't even know where he is in Italy."

"But I imagine you know how to find out where he is, don't you?"

He nodded, albeit grudgingly.

"Yes, it would be easy enough for me to discover his whereabouts, I suppose."

Tony was quiet for a while. At least, he seemed to be considering the matter.

"If Stefano met me and got to know me, maybe he would agree to protect us from EJ somehow," I suggested.

"Running to Stefano for protection?" Tony laughed bitterly. "The irony of that is astounding. Don't you see that you would only be exchanging one threat for another? You're crazy to even suggest such a thing."

"I know I sound crazy. But this whole thing is crazy, isn't it? The fact that I look just like Renee. The fact that I'm haunted by her!"

"Haunted by her?" Tony's stern demeanor cracked into a big grin as he laughed. "Haunted? Aren't you being a little melodramatic, my dear?"

I cursed myself for being so careless.

"Well, I mean the way that I look like her," I said hurriedly. "That's what EJ's so afraid of, right? He somehow thinks that I'm a threat to him. You've said so yourself."

Tony nodded in agreement.

"Well, maybe it is time to make EJ's fear a reality. He ruined our wedding and nearly killed my best friend. If he wants a dirty fight, he's going to get one. I'm going to fly to Italy and meet Stefano and give EJ something to really worry about! And if Stefano liked me, EJ wouldn't dare try to hurt me again!"

Tony considered me intently...so much so that he made me nervous.

"So what do you think?" I asked as I sat down on the couch, anxious for his opinion.

"I think you truly are a DiMera after all."

The answer unnerved me, especially coming from him.

"Is that good or bad?"

"A little of both, I suppose," he said with a fatalistic shrug, sitting down beside me. "I'm just seeing a rather ruthless and fearless side to you that I'm unaccustomed to."

For a moment, I felt ashamed of myself.

"When I lost my parents, I never thought I would be close to anyone again," I confessed in a whisper. "But then I found you..."

Tony raised a caustic eyebrow.

"Or rather...you found me," I corrected with a smile.

"That's a bit more accurate," he teased as he reached for my hand.

"And now we have this baby. Don't you see, Tony? I'm only thinking of us and our family. I can't just sit here and do nothing while EJ destroys us."

"Another strong DiMera trait," Tony said with a sad smile. "And one of the more admirable traits. Love of family above everything else. And I feel the same way."

Tony rewarded me with a smile.

"Leigh, I don't even have the words to say how much you mean to me. There are no words strong enough to express how I feel. All I can say is I love you. I never thought I was capable of loving so much."

"Oh, Tony..."

My heart melted as we kissed sweetly.

"That's why you shall see Stefano," he said, touching my nose playfully. "And I'm going with you."

I gasped in surprise, not having considered that possibility.

"But, Tony, after all he's done to you over the years, do you think that you should?"

"Well, I am not going to let you walk into the dragon's lair alone. I am this child's father, after all. And I made a vow, remember? Until death do us part..."

"Jeez, you don't have to be so melodramatic about it," I snapped, jumping up from the couch..

"You're the one determined to meet with the Phoenix," he laughed. "I'm simply honoring my wedding vows."

"Oh, don't be flippant!"

Suddenly, I was very anxious for the both of us. So much for DiMera fearlessness.

"Well, you must think the idea is a good one then?" I asked. "I don't think you'd do this otherwise."

"Your plan does seem a bit more practical in the long run," Tony admitted. "If I kill Elvis, then I'd have to contend with Stefano seeking revenge against me for the rest of all time. Besides, seeing that twit squirm might even be more satisfying than seeing his cold corpse. As far as revenge against Elvis is concerned, your plan is brilliant. But I don't think you have considered the price you might be forced to pay."

"What price?" I asked. "You don't think Stefano would hurt me? I mean, I'm carrying his great-grandchild...part of the future generation of the DiMeras. And I look like Renee. I was even hoping maybe he'd like me a little. I mean, he is my grandfather, after all."

"Ah...but you see, that is the real threat."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"Stefano often hurts his loved ones worse than his greatest enemies. Take it from one who knows."

I could not help but feel a chill coming on as I considered Tony's ominous words.


	28. Meeting the Phoenix

As I predicted, Tony discovered Stefano's whereabouts without too much effort. He only had to make a few discreet phone calls to old 'family friends' who were fearless enough even to betray the Phoenix for the right amount of incentive and cash. Stefano was apparently residing at a hospital in Milan...right near where I had been when I had interviewed Anna DiMera all of that time ago. No wonder it had been so easy for EJ to discover me.

Tony cautioned that we had to take the utmost care to get to Italy as discreetly as possible. In order to get the information about Stefano, he had alerted certain parties of his presence and his interest. None of those sources could be trusted. As it was, EJ might already know that we were on our way to Italy.

I only had to make one stop before our journey.

----------------------------------

I choked back tears at the sight of Jennifer sitting up in her hospital bed, looking at me with a weak smile.

"Thank God you're getting better," I sighed as I sat beside her. "I was worried sick about you."

My friend was weak and pale but she still managed to smile as she reached out for my hand.

"I've been better, but Jack's been taking such good care of me."

"I'm sure that he has," I nodded, trying not to remember the tense conversation I had with Jack from before.

"I'm sorry you missed him. He went to the hospital cafeteria to get something to eat after I nagged him to death."

Even though Jennifer was better, I still wasn't sure that Jack had forgiven me for what happened at the wedding. I was actually pretty relieved that he was gone.

Jennifer looked at me oddly.

"Well, what about you?" she questioned me, her reporter's natural sense of curiosity acting up. "How's married life?"

Wasn't that just like Jennifer to be asking about me when she had been fighting for her life? I was amazed at how she seemed to be taking everything in such calm and stride while the rest of us had been frantic. I felt like I could throttle her if I didn't love her so much.

"Well, the marriage didn't go off to such a great start," I admitted. "Having my best friend nearly killed at my own wedding sort of put a damper on things."

"You're getting along all right with Tony though, aren't you?" she asked, concerned. "I mean, I'd hate to think you were at odds because of all of this."

"Things have been tense..." I admitted. "But we're working our problems out."

"Good," she smiled. "That's a terrific start. Compromise is really important."

I nodded.

"But something else is bothering you, isn't it?" I saw Jennifer glance outside in the hallway. "Who are those men out there? Bodyguards?"

"Yes."

"But I thought you said that you weren't going to put up with that sort of stuff..."

"After the bombing, we agreed that it would be best for a while if I had some security around."

"Oh."

I wished that I could tell Jennifer everything. All about EJ and Stefano and Renee...and everything. But as usual, I had to keep it all inside with my lips sealed shut.

"Anyway," I said. "We're going out of town soon. I just wanted to see you before we left."

"Oh, where are you going?"

I hesitated to tell her. God, I hated to lie.

"Oh, I get it!" she laughed. "You're going off on your honeymoon! It's okay. I'm happy for you."

"Yes," I nodded with a hard swallow, grateful that she unwittingly gave me a way out. "Yes, we are going on our honeymoon."

"Good," she smiled. "I want you to have a great time and forget all about this. You guys need time alone together someplace terribly romantic. And, Leigh, I know I've had my reservations about Tony at first. But when I saw you two dancing together...when I saw the love in your eyes as you exchanged vows, I knew that you had made the right decision. You two are going to be happy together for a long time. I know it."

I tried to fight back my doubts and fears as I heard her kind words.

"I hope so, Jennifer. I hope so."

----------------------------------

We hired a private plane to fly out to Italy. And despite the danger we were facing, the flight was a good one. Tony and I spent a lot of time talking and eating and...being newlyweds. Perhaps the adrenaline rush served as a good aphrodisiac for both of us as we couldn't keep our hands off of each other. On the other hand, we had never had trouble when it came to our physical attraction for one another. Our problems always seemed to start up when we weren't in bed together.

After we landed at the airport and made our way through all of the hassles of international travel, we rented a car under assumed names. Tony sped along the Italian streets at breakneck speed as if he had been doing such things for all of his life. And then I realized that he probably had done his share of European cruising in his younger days.

I looked wistfully out at the romantic atmosphere as we drove through the streets of Milan as we drove along. It was a beautiful city. What a shame that we couldn't really be here on our honeymoon...

But there was no time for romance.

We made straight for the hospital and Stefano DiMera.

----------------------------------

Tony DiMera was recognized among many of Stefano's employees. He barked out vicious orders to them in Italian, putting on an air of arrogance and confidence that he could not possibly be feeling for real. I became aware of what excellent acting skills Tony had when measures called for them.

A nurse motioned for us to follow her.

As we walked through a series of hallways, the hospital seemed less like a hospital and more like a fortress, not unlike Tony's underground bunker. Windowless and bleak, the hallway before us was depressing. As we walked along the long corridor, the surreal sound of a romantic swelling operatic aria soared hauntingly from a room at the end of the stretch.

I was becoming more nervous with every step towards the room.

"And here I thought he liked 'Ride of the Valkries'..." I said, chuckling without feeling any real humor.

"That is Father's favorite classical piece..." Tony nodded with a smirk. "But man cannot live on Wagner alone. He would be the first to say such a thing. This is from Aida, I believe, one of his favorites..."

The nurse scurried off like a scared rabbit before we reached the room. I yearned to follow her.

As I looked up at my husband, I noticed the look of haunted pain in his eyes. Suddenly, I realized what this journey was costing him.. With concern, I put my hand on his arm.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I whispered. "I mean, I feel completely justified in seeing Stefano, but I don't like what this is doing to you."

Tony seemed a bit dazed, as if he was returning from some dark place in his soul.

"Until death do us part, little cat..." he answered with a soft smile. "I promised. Remember? You were right during those days in the bunker. You accused me of hiding away from the world...of being a coward."

"Did I say that?" I asked. "I didn't mean to be so harsh."

"I can't recall your exact words," he shrugged. "But the meaning was there. And you were right. I need to face my demons. And in that room is my greatest demon of all. My father. At least, the man I've always thought of as my father."

Tony's words echoed in my mind. Until death do us part. Hopefully, such a fate would not come to either one of us. It was not our time, not now that we had found each other. As I thought of my love for Tony, I remembered just how crucial it was that we survive EJ's plotting and that we make a new life for our baby. That knowledge gave me the strength and courage to go on.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to settle my nerves, I reached before us and pushed the door open.

Stefano DiMera was sitting up in a chair, conducting an imaginary orchestra with his eyes closed. Heavy set in his large dark scarlet velvet robe, he looked just like I had imagined him, except that he was even more imposing and seemed even more dangerous. I did not expect the salt-and-pepper beard however. And I did not realize he was so charismatic, even with his eyes closed. He seemed to be completely focused on the music; and yet I sensed that he knew that we were there. He was waiting for us, expecting us...anticipating our every move like the grand chess master that he was.

And I had just left the bedside of someone truly suffering n in Salem. And I knew a healthy man when I saw one. Stefano was just as sick as I was...meaning he was not sick at all.

I had not expected Tony to do any talking, but apparently he couldn't help himself.

"Father," he said abruptly. "There is no point in carrying on with this charade. You know we are here. And we know that you know it."

With his eyes closed, Stefano grinned broadly with a loud laugh.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns...!"

He whirled about to face us with more energy than I could have thought possible for a man of his age.

"To what do I owe the honor of...?"

At the sight of me, his words halted. Time itself seemed to stop.

Stefano's eyes widened with horror as he saw the image of his long lost daughter before him. His face looked agonized as he placed his hand upon his heart. He seemed to be overwhelmed with memories from long ago. Memories that tormented him. How horrible it had to be, knowing that you were indirectly responsible for your own daughter's death...

As for myself, I felt that same haunting sensation that I had experienced on the night that I made love with Tony for the first time. Past and present merged together, blinding me with pictures from a life that was not my own. And I also felt that strange mixture of love and fear, all wrapped into one big maelstrom of emotion. I should hate this man. Because of him, my past had been covered up with one lie after another. Because of him, I was being spooked by Renee. Because of him, there was this notorious cursed family that I was repelled by and fascinated by all at once. Yet somehow, I felt so bonded with Stefano DiMera. Like he was the father I had never known. Like I needed him in my life. It was a visceral connection...similar to how I felt about Tony. I could not understand it, but merely accept it. I was not surprised that Stefano was horrified at the sight of me, but I was shaken to the core by my own strong feelings.

After some time, Stefano muttered some words in Italian.

Tony answered him in English.

"No, she is not Renee come back from the grave to haunt you, Stefano...though I would not blame the spirit one bit if she did."

No, I thought with irony, trying to keep from laughing hysterically. She likes to haunt me instead.

"This is Leigh DiMera. She is descended from her namesake, Lee Dumonde. Remember that particular mistress of yours...Father?"

I could hear the contempt spewing from Tony's voice.

"Yes, Mr. DiMera," I said, once more acting as mediator. "I found out that Lee Dumonde had two daughters...Renee and my biological mother, Charlotte Dumonde. Renee DiMera was my aunt, it seems. And you are my grandfather."

Stefano was speechless. I suspect I was one of the few people ever to see the great fearless Phoenix in utter shock. He clearly had no idea about me. I realized just how much trouble EJ had gone to in order to insure that Stefano never had a clue about my existence.

"You look just like her..." Stefano rasped with emotion. "My beautiful tragic Renee..."

"Oh, spare us the melodramatic crocodile tears!" Tony spat out. "If it hadn't been for your grandiose revenge scheme, your daughter would still be alive."

"How dare you speak to me this way! Andre killed her!" Stefano roared. "It was Andre!"

"Who was your hired killer!" Tony answered back. "And that thug has already tried to murder my wife, undoubtedly aided by your beloved son, Elvis!"

I blinked in surprise at Tony's vitriolic words. Fervently, I wished that I had done this without him. I had never seen him so out of control with crazed emotion, spouting out damning words that would do nothing to aid our cause. He was so overwhelmed with all his anger and pain that he was no long focused on the present and the future.

"Your wife?" Stefano responded in surprise. And then he looked again at me. "She is your wife?"

"Yes," Tony answered. "And carrying my child. Your great-grandchild. So if you do not wish to have more of your relatives murdered, I suggest that you get control over your fool of a son."

Stefano's eyes narrowed in retaliation.

"You are not worthy to even speak of Elvis!" Stefano spouted. "He is a fine young man...more of a DiMera than you ever could be!"

"And thank God for that! I want no part of you or this cursed family!"

I was in awe as I watched the two men before me battle it out. There was undoubtedly hate and disappointment between them...but there was also an everlasting respect and twisted sort of affection there, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

"You dare to call Elvis a fool while you are hiding away from the world like a weak coward?"

"BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE YOUR PAWN ANYMORE!"

"WELL, OF WHAT USE WERE YOU? You were always ashamed of the name 'DiMera'...except when the privileged name allowed you to have a title and to have any woman you wanted and to..."

"Any woman I wanted!? What about Kristen? Does she go under that category? After all you did to..."

I sighed with a loss of patience at the sound of that woman's name. Sometimes, it seemed like all roads led back to her! And this fighting was getting us nowhere.

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" I yelled. "Good lord, you're like five-year-olds on a playground!"

Both of the adversaries stopped short, obviously taken aback at being spoken to so by a woman.

"You should teach your wife some manners..." Stefano snapped.

"Well, perhaps we should take etiquette courses together, Mr. DiMera, as you seem to be lacking in the social graces yourself!" I answered. "Besides, I am a DiMera which means that I don't just sit quietly and do as I'm told. And Tony..." I turned to my husband. "Will you control yourself, please? You're making me sorry that I didn't just come here on my own."

"Yes, dear wife..." Tony hissed with underlying venom, now directed at me as well as Stefano. "Anything you say."

Stefano's eyes glinted sparkled at me with something that I suspected was humor...and perhaps even admiration.

"So this visit was your idea?" he ventured.

"Yes, Mr. DiMera."

"Please call me Stefano," he responded. "If I am indeed your grandfather, there is no need for such formality."

"Very well. Stefano..."

Tony remained coldly silent, glaring at the both of us.

"Yes, I am the one who wanted to seek you out. You see, the future of our child is at stake and..."

"And speaking of which..." he interrupted. "You are in the family way and you should sit down. Tony, be a gentleman for once and get your wife a chair."

"You seem unusually healthy for a man on his deathbed, Stefano," Tony snarled. "GET HER DAMNED CHAIR YOURSELF!!!"

With that, Tony stormed out of the room. So much for my knight-in-shining-armor, I thought. I was handling Stefano much better than he was...and I barely knew the man, grandfather or no. Still, I felt sort of proud that for once I didn't need Tony's help.

"You must excuse Tony, my dear..." Stefano chuckled as he rose across the room to fetch a chair. Pulling it across the room, he made a courtly gesture for me to sit. "He is spoiled and willful...and always has been. I take full responsibility for the man he has become."

"I'm well acquainted with my husband's temper. And I suspect you know exactly what buttons to push to set him off over the edge..."

"Ah..." Stefano laughed. "Touche, my lady. Well, what father worth his salt does not know how to make his son leave the room in a fit? And whether related by blood or no, I shall always think of Tony as my son. And at any rate, I should like to know more about you."

He patted my arm, smiling at me with incredible charm.

"My long lost granddaughter with a child on the way. Tony's child, nonetheless. Life works in mysterious ways, does it not?"

"Yes, it does..." I mused, wondering again how I could possibly like this man. And I realized how he had managed to get away with so many crimes over the years. Many of his victims probably received his charming smile, reeking of the Old World, even as guns were being held to their skulls.

"How did you come to meet with Tony?"

"In a search for my past," I admitted, seeing no point in hiding the truth. "I knew I was a DiMera and I wanted to learn more about who I was. My adoptive parents died in a car crash some years ago..."

"Oh, how horrible for you..."

"Yes." I was uncomfortable with his sympathy. "And as I looked for clues about my past, Elvis found about me. Since then, you wouldn't believe what I've been through! He tried to blow up my car at Aremid."

"Aremid?" Stefano laughed in surprise. "You were at Aremid? You have been doing your homework, haven't you?"

"Yes. I am the one who found out the truth about David Banning..."

"Ah, yes..." Stefano nodded. "That unfortunate fool of a man..."

"Why David?" I asked. "I know you don't have to explain it to me; but that piece of the puzzle never seemed clear."

"Well, I am relieved to find your question more of an investigative nature than a moral one." Stefano's eyes darkened as he recalled David Banning. "I trusted that man to take care of my little girl. I was in trouble with the law, you see. I could not be there to take care of her. If he had been man enough to be a true husband to her, Renee would not have run back to Tony. She would not have become ensnarled in my plans. And she would not have been so brutally murdered. I swore my revenge against Banning and I took it."

It was a convoluted sort of logic; but I expected no less from Stefano.

"Well, anyway," I continued. "EJ ransacked my apartment in London. By then, Tony found out about me and tried to protect me from EJ. Andre tried to attack me at the Salem Inn. And then EJ kidnapped me again and gave me over to Andre...who was really Tony. And then at our wedding, a bomb blew up and nearly killed my friend, Jennifer. And..."

"Stop, stop, stop..." Stefano pleaded, waving his hands dramatically. "My head is spinning! I see I shall have to talk to my son at once. I shall tell Elvis to leave you alone. Although for the life of me, I cannot imagine why he would want to hurt you."

"Tony thinks that he thinks I am a threat in some way."

Stefano looked upon me with appraisal.

"Perhaps you could be, my dear. Perhaps you could be..."


	29. Forgotten Melody

Gloomily, I looked out onto the beautiful night from the terrace of our hotel room. The Italian countryside could have been part of a painting, so silent and still, the green landscape lit by stars. Yet, what good was romantic scenery and stars when Tony was so silent and sullen?

I could no longer stand the tension between us.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" I asked.

"Why on earth should I be mad at you?" Tony snapped, downing his sherry in a vicious gulp. "You did a commendable job today. Stefano promised your safety. And that was the goal, was it not?"

I shrugged, bewildered.

"You just seem so tense..."

Tony shook his head as he walked into the bedroom from the terrace, slumping into an easy chair by the bed.

"I apologize," he sighed. "I suppose Stefano always knew how to bring out the worst in me. He still has that ability, dying or no."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that."

I felt myself starting to cry and hated myself for it. But in my condition, I tended to cry at the drop of a hat these days.

"I suppose you wish you'd never gotten mixed up with me..." I sobbed.

"What?!" Tony rushed over to my side and held me. "You know that you and the baby mean everything to me. What nonsense is this?"

"You had a happy life, all secluded and safe from Stefano. You were free of him at last. And then I came along and messed everything up..."

"I was living the life of a coward," he said. "You must never say such things..."

We sat together on the bed, cradled in each other's arms. Sniffling, I calmed down a little. How would I ever be able to take care of a baby when I was being such a child myself?

"But you seem to have made an excellent impression on Stefano though..."

I couldn't help but smile proudly through my tears.

"I did, didn't I?"

Tony chuckled a little at my response.

"And if nothing else, Stefano values family," he nodded. "He could not possibly look at you, all swollen and pregnant with his great-grandchild and not be moved to help you."

"Best of all, he promised me that he would talk to EJ and make him leave us alone."

"Yes."

The tone of Tony's voice was doubtful.

"You don't believe him?" I asked.

"Well, we all know what Stefano's promises are worth..."

I began to worry again.

"Oh, Stefano will talk to Elvis," Tony assured me. "Of that, I have no doubt. But I wonder what price we will have to pay for his help. I suppose that is what is really bothering me."

"A price?"

"Even where Stefano's family is concerned, there will be a price to be paid. I should know."

I shouldn't have been surprised at Tony's attitude.

Even after our meeting with Stefano had proven successful, Tony could not wait for us to escape the hospital, racing down the narrow streets in the car like a demon. The entire time that we were on the road, Tony constantly looked over his shoulder as we sped along, certain that we would be followed. Since we were both exhausted after several hours on our journey, we decided to stop at this remote inn somewhere on the outskirts of the Italian countryside.

"But for the moment, it seems that everything went according to plan," Tony conceded. "And tomorrow we'll be going home again. Now you must rest. Your newly sealed deal with Stefano will be useless if you fall ill from exhaustion."

"Speaking of which," I moaned. "I am pretty darned tired."

"Do you have everything you need?" Tony asked.

"Yes, Tony," I answered. "For the hundredth time..."

"Well, as an expectant father, I have a duty to worry."

"I know...and you're worrying enough for the both of us."

The horrible days of the morning sickness were over. And now I was in that middle trimester that was supposed to be the best part. My stomach was starting to get hard and stretching out. The weight of the baby was starting to cause an annoying pressure on my back and bladder. And I wanted to sleep all of the time.

Lying down on my side on the small bed, I went through my ritual of putting one pillow between my knees and another on the side of my stomach to ease the pressure on my back.

"Ohhh!" I cried out in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Tony rushed to my side, eyes wide with anxiety.

"Oh, well, nothing...really..."

"You didn't sound like it was nothing!"

"Come here..."

I pulled Tony next to me on the bed and put his hand on my stomach.

And there it was again.

Tony exhaled his breath sharply at the feel of our child kicking from inside of me. The moment was such a cliché. Both of us clutched on to my stomach as if we never knew such a thing were possible. Even so, it felt so incredible. We both laughed in excitement and then waited for a long time, hoping to feel the baby kick again.

"Maybe he fell asleep..." Tony said softly.

"He?" I teased. "And how are you so sure this child is a boy?"

"Only a boy can kick that hard."

"Oh, what a chauvinistic thing to say!" I exclaimed. "If we have a daughter, I'm going to tell her you said that!"

"I am sure this is a boy," Tony taunted. "Care to make a little wager?"

"With you?" I giggled. "You'd find some way to sneak off an ultrasound in my sleep and make sure I lose the bet somehow!"

Tony laughed loudly.

"My wife knows me so well..."

For a while, we were a normal couple again, relaxed and happy. I hadn't felt this way since...well, ironically not since before we got married.

But even the calm moments did not last long.

"Stefano's taken everything that I've ever loved..." Tony said sadly. "I can't let him take this from me. I won't."

His words caused me to shiver.

"Tony, why on earth would Stefano want to do that?" I asked, recalling the old man we had just left. "He wouldn't want to hurt me or the baby. I'm sure of it. And you said yourself that he liked me."

"I'm sure he does," Tony nodded. "But I also know that I have spent some time thwarting Stefano from his goals

"But that won't stop him from trying to hurt me, nevertheless."

"But why would he hurt you now?"

"Oh, didn't you see how we were at each other's throats today?" he sighed. "I was always a disappointment to him. When he found out that I was not really a blood relation of his, that only made everything worse. He's tortured me and tormented me for not being truly of his blood. And for not being willing to commit the atrocities that he wanted me to. And he's not through with his revenge against me. I've thwarted him for too many years. I only wish I could predict what his next move is. Alas, I was never the master at chess that he was."

"Oh, stop talking this way..." I said, snuggling against him. "Once we're back in Salem, we'll feel better."

"I hope so, Leigh. I hope so."

---------------------------------------

And for a while, we did feel better.

Tony again occupied himself with working with various business ventures and charities, attempting to restore his own good reputation despite all of the prejudice and suspicion that he battled every day. The bombing at our wedding only set his cause back further. No one in Salem trusted anyone with the last name of DiMera.

As for myself, I put all of my efforts into decorating and preparing the nursery for the baby. There was a lot that needed to be done and not much time left to get it done in. I had to admit that nothing quite brightened my day as the sight of Bart assembling the newest bouncy chair or baby stroller. Seeing the tough guy walking around with pastel-looking stuffed animals always made me crack a smile. He didn't seem to mind though. I think he was almost as excited about 'Baby D' as we were.

When I wasn't working on the nursery, I was constantly buying new maternity clothes as I was starting to balloon into a whale. Tony said he didn't mind how big I was getting, that I was pregnant with his baby and that I was beautiful. He could whisper sweet words like that all day long; but I still looked and felt miserable, waddling around all over the place. I would be so happy when this baby was out of me!

As soon as Jennifer had fully recovered, she started talking about throwing me a baby shower. I was reticent about having another party after all that had happened at the wedding. But she insisted, assuring me that the shower would be a small one. I insisted that if there was to be a shower, that we at least hold it at the mansion where I could be sure that everyone would be safe.

My worries were groundless.

The baby shower turned out to be quite pleasant. Besides my faithful three friends, Alice and Maggie Horton were there...as was Caroline Brady, Julie Williams, Celeste Perrault, Belle Black and Kayla Johnson. We actually had a good time, playing silly little games for prizes and wrecking our diets with amazing food.

Maybe life could somehow resemble a normal existence after all.

"Mrs. D?" Bart called out, interrupting us in our gaeity. "This gift came, special delivery."

"Really? Who's it from?"

"Don't know. There's no card."

I could feel the tense silence in the room. All of the women looked at each other nervously.

"It's not ticking, is it?" I joked, although I was only halfway kidding.

Just as seriously, Bart shook the package.

"Nah, don't be silly! This is too light to be a bomb."

"Just the same..." I said, looking around at all of the guests nervously. "Maybe you should open it outside."

"Sure, Mrs. D."

A few moments, Bart returned.

"It's just a music box, Mrs. D. Kinda pretty too, ain't it?"

The word 'pretty' did not describe it. It was absolutely gorgeous, ornate and golden with jewels encrusted in it. There was a beautiful etched depiction of a bird on the lid. The image made my heart beat frantically.

"Oh, my gosh, that must have cost a fortune!" Jennifer gasped. "It's so beautiful."

"Yes," Hope agreed, looking a little envious. "Why don't I ever get any music boxes like that?"

"It helps if you're married to Tony," Jennifer answered. " I'm sure he's the one who got it for her!"

"You think so?" Hope asked.

"Come on," Jennifer answered. "Who else could afford to buy a gift like that? Except maybe Victor Kiriakis...and he would have left a card, right, Leigh?"

I was only halfway aware of that conversation. I was transfixed on the image of the bird with the emerald eyes on the music box. The ladies were not aware that the bird on the music box represented the legendary Phoenix. And I was not about to tell them.

"Leigh, are you okay?"

"Oh, yes," I answered. "You're right. Victor actually already got me a present. A baby blanket..."

"Engraved and fur-lined no doubt..."

"Of course."

As I opened the music box, a haunting melody played. What was that song? I knew it. And yet somehow I couldn't place it. I narrowed my eyes in concentration, trying to recall the melody.

Suddenly, a splitting pain ripped through my head. I dropped the box and clutched at my skull, screaming in agony.

The women cried out in alarm as I doubled over. Well, as much as I could double over in the state that I was in.

"Leigh, my God!" Jennifer cried. "Are you okay?"

I could barely answer, but only flinch through the sharp pain.

"Let me look at her..." Marlena insisted. "Maybe I can help. Leigh?"

I heard the voices, but I could not see them. The pain was literally blinding me.

"Maybe we should call Tony...?" Hope suggested.

"Marlena, help me upstairs..." I panted. "It's just a weird migraine, that's all. I just need to lie down."

"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.

Jennifer and Marlena both helped me up to my room.

"We should call Tony..." Jennifer insisted.

And then another wave of nauseating pain came along, causing me to cry out.

"That's it, Leigh," Marlena said. "We should take you to the hospital...now..."

"No, Marlena. Please...I hate hospitals..." I gasped.

"That's too bad. You're going."

Suddenly, Bart was in the room with us.

"I got you, Mrs. D..." he soothed, picking up and carrying me like a rag doll. "We'll get you to a doctor. Don't you worry about nothin'."

"Get Tony..." I begged. "I need Tony."

"Sure, sure..." he promised. "As soon as you get to the doc, I'll get the Boss."

I was barely aware of the ride to the hospital or what people were saying around me. I just kept trying to breathe through the pain.

At some point, I was on a cold hospital bed. The nurse was talking to me, but I couldn't seem to hear her.

I could only hear one thing.

That melody playing over and over in my head...driving me mad. I tried to concentrate on the musical notes, biting my lip until it bled...

And then all was dark...

And there was nothing but the music...

--------------------------------------------------

"Rolf, you idiot! You promised me she would not be harmed!"

"She is perfectly fine, Stefano. A little minor side effect, but..."

"Minor! The poor child was screaming in agony an hour ago. Are you certain the baby is unharmed?"

"The baby is perfectly safe, Stefano. You have my word."

Baby? I thought, confused. What baby ? I was pregnant?

And what was Stefano talking about? Had I been ill?

Not ready to face reality just yet, I laid still with my eyes closed, trying to remember what had happened to me. And yet there were just random images...of Tony and of Stefano, of Marlena and of Anna. I remembered being a little girl in Georgia, of being the perpetual outsider...only to become a DiMera. Bits and pieces of random crazy memories crashed through my psyche like a kaleidoscope.

"Stefano?" I called out weakly.

"Ah, my princess..." he soothed, being so sweet to me as he held my hand and stroked my hair. "How are you, my dear heart?"

"What's happening to me? What's happening? I don't understand."

"You've just had an accident, my dear. As a result, you're suffering from a slight memory loss, but you'll be fine."

"I feel so strange..."

Placing my hand on my stomach, there was no question about it. I was going to have a baby...and pretty soon too.

"I'm having a baby?"

"Yes. Don't you remember?"

"No..."

"You don't remember your husband? David? David Banning?"

"David?" I repeated in confusion.

An image as clear as day came into my mind of David. And I knew everything about him. His scent and his touch. Our first date. The first time we met. Our wedding day. Everything.

I also remembered that I did not love David.

Tony.

I needed Tony. He would explain things to me, just as he always had. He would help me.

"Tony?" I called out. "Where's Tony? I need him..."

"Don't you worry about Tony," Stefano soothed. "You are with me now. And I shall take care of you. Haven't I always taken care of you, my lovely daughter? My beautiful Renee...come back to me at last. You are safe now. I shall never let anyone hurt you ever again."


	30. Queen of the Empire

Sitting across from my father at the chessboard, the fancy gold and black game pieces meant nothing to me. And I could not even seem to remember whose turn it was, much less come up with any brilliant strategy moves.

"AHA!" Father bellowed out with a cry, placing his piece down decisively. "Checkmate!"

"Darn it," I cursed, sighing in frustration. "Not again!"

Father shook his head with a grin as he wagged a finger at me.

"You were daydreaming, dear girl. And that is the worst thing you can do! You must always keep your mind sharp. You must always be two steps ahead of your opponent, predicting their next move before they even predict it themselves. This is a valuable lesson in a chess game and in life, yes?"

"Sorry, Father..." I admitted. "You're right. I'm really no good at this game."

Father smiled at me indulgently.

"Well, you are about to give birth at any moment. I suppose I can give you some allowances for that, eh? How are you feeling? Do you want some milk? Rolf, get the dear girl some milk!"

"Yes, Stefano..."

The strange bald man with the moustache and German-sounding accent hustled out of the room to do Father's bidding. I couldn't quite make out my father's relationship with this odd doctor. Some days, Father treated Rolf like the greatest medical genius who ever lived. And then, on days like today, he treated him like a common houseboy.

"And you are wrong, my lovely Renee," Father continued. "You have a natural affinity for the game. That is why I am so proud and delighted to have you here with me. And once you have the baby and life has settled down, I shall teach you everything you need to know about being a DiMera and our way of life. After all, contrary to popular belief, I will not be around forever. I am counting on you and Elvis to uphold the DiMera name and all that it stands for after I am gone."

"Father, I hate it when you talk that way," I pleaded with a grimace. "We've just found each other again. I don't ever want you to die."

"It is inevitable, my dear," he smiled indulgently. "I am no immortal Phoenix, merely a man. But you will make me proud. I know it. Especially once you bless me with that beautiful grandchild."

Rolf shuffled in with my glass of milk. I drank the liquid grudgingly. Father insisted that I live with him under his roof and under the care of Dr. Rolf until the baby was born. It was unsafe for me to be alone with my mental state after the 'accident'. An accident which I couldn't remember at all.

I would be so happy to have this child born and have this all over with. While Father was being incredibly kind to me, I felt like a sheltered invalid. And it was lonely sometimes in this big old mansion, especially when Father had other mysterious matters to attend to.

As I sullenly reflected upon the chessboard, a flash of memory came to me, startling me. This memory was different than the other ones as it was extremely clear and intense.. I recalled sitting at a chessboard and Tony was across from me. He was laughing at me.

_You are simply hopeless at this game, Little Cat..._ he teased. _I may have to get you a professional tutor!_

_You wouldn't dare? _I laughed back.

_Oh, wouldn't !?_

His laughing words echoed in my mind over and over.

"Is something wrong?" Father asked, touching my shoulder with concern. "You look so strange. Is it the baby?"

"Oh, no," I answered, quick to assure him. "I was just remembering something."

"Really?"

"I just had the strangest memory of playing chess with Tony. Yet I don't recall ever knowing how to play chess before. And yet I remember playing a game with Tony so strongly."

"Odd."

Stefano's word was curt and ominous.

"Yes, it is," I agreed.

"Rolf!" he bellowed suddenly, scaring me.

"Yes, Stefano?"

"After dinner tonight, we must have a long talk alone...a long talk about your competence."

I could tell Father was angry with Rolf although I wasn't sure why. His threatening tones sent chills down my back. Although he had never been so sharp with me, I knew that Father could have a horrible temper.

Nervously, I stood up and paced around, even though the weight of the baby made my back hurt. That memory of Tony depressed me. I longed to see him again so much.

There was a silence between Father and me.

"Father?"

"Please do not ask me again, Renee!" Father sighed with despair.

"Are you sure Tony hasn't asked for me?" I ventured, despite his plea. "Just to see how the baby is or...?"

"My dear, I have explained this to you time and time again," Father sighed. "Tony ran off and got married to that gold digger again. That Anna woman. You must put him out of your mind. He will only hurt you, Renee. Trust me."

Every time I heard Anna's name, I felt like throwing one of Father's expensive foreign vases against the wall. Why did Tony keep going back to that blonde tramp again and again when he knew that I loved him, that I'd do anything to be with him? And a fat lot of good I could do to win him away from her now, looking like a beached whale!

"I can't believe he went back To Anna..." I fumed. "After the way she tricked him into marriage like that!"

Father shook his head sadly.

"Tony has proven to be a disappointment to me on so many levels. This was only one more to add to the list. I never could understand his attraction to that woman."

And I blamed myself. If only I hadn't been so torn between Tony and David. I should have just followed my heart as soon as I knew that Tony was not really my half-brother. If I had, how differently everything might have turned out...

"And what about David?" I asked, following my train of thought. "Why hasn't he come to see me? Doesn't he care about his own child?"

"You and David are separated. There is much bitter animosity between you now. Renee, I have explained this to you many times."

"I know," I nodded. "And I'm sorry, Father. I'm sure I'm driving you crazy with all of these questions. It just seems so odd that no one has come to see me...not Chris or Marlena or anyone! It's like everyone has dropped off the face of the earth! And we never leave this mansion! It's like being in prison!"

"Renee...don't you want to live here with me?"

I grabbed Father's hand desperately.

"Of course, I do, Father. I'm sorry."

"I've done everything I could to make you comfortable, my child." Father looked genuinely hurt as he gazed upon me with his expressive dark eyes. "But it seems as if there is no pleasing you."

"Father, I love you," I answered hurriedly. "You know that! Please understand. It just seems...well, weird. The only people I ever see are you and Dr. Rolf. And I feel so stifled and cooped up in this house. Maybe I should get out and get some fresh air."

"No," Father shook his head. "You know that Dr. Rolf instructed you were to stay inside. You have a high risk pregnancy and must act accordingly. And he even confided in me that he almost prescribed bed rest until the child is born."

"I know..." I answered. "I'll just be so happy when this is over with. I'm just so restless."

"Try not to fret so, my Renee..." Father smiled. "This is a special time in your life. I am sorry if I have kept you too isolated here. I admit I have not invited anyone to see you here. Perhaps because this is a special time for me as well, and I want you all to myself now."

I smiled, feeling so lucky to have this man in my life.

"That's so sweet, Father."

I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't mind me. I guess I'm just a crazy pregnant lady right now. That's all. I'll stop complaining now. I promise."

Once Father seemed appeased, I went up to my room and took a nap. For a while, all was mercifully calm. And then I heard voices bellowing from downstairs.

"Just how long do you think you can keep up this crazy charade?"

I recognized the voice. It was Elvis.

So odd. I grew up all alone in Georgia with only Emily by my side. And now I seemed to be discovering a new DiMera relation every day.

My half-brother, Elvis, was very handsome and dashing looking with a divine British accent. But he was always so cold to me. In fact, he seemed to hate me as if he was jealous of me or something. It made little sense to me. How could anyone be jealous of a woman who had a bad case of partial amnesia and was about to give birth to what seemed to be one gigantic baby? If that man could carry this baby around in his belly for one day, he'd see the error of his thinking quickly enough!

"THIS IS NONE OF YOUR AFFAIR!" Father bellowed. "You had your chance to make me proud. But time and time again, you have disappointed me..."

Curiosity got the better of me. I stood up, putting on my robe, and crept towards the stairwell. It was wrong of me to eavesdrop, but still I felt like I was so in the dark about everything all of the time. Maybe if I knew the truth about some of what was going on in this house, I'd understand more and remember more.

"I have always been the perfect soldier for you, Father," Elvis stated. "Always, I have tried to do as you ask. But sometimes your demands are simply impossible!"

"I have lost all patience with you! It is obvious that you have no more brains than your disgusting creature of a mother! You just do not have what it takes to be a true DiMera!"

"Oh, and SHE DOES?!" Elvis cried out. "You're going to turn over the DiMera fortune and empire to her? A foolish woman about to have a baby! And an imposter on top of that!"

I blinked in sleepy confusion. Was Elvis talking about me? What did he mean by 'imposter'?

"Watch what you say, Elvis!" Father answered back. "She is my flesh and blood..."

"Oh, yes, your darling long-lost Renee come back from the dead, eh? And you have the gall to criticize me for stupidity?! You will be found out, Father! You know that! It is not a matter of 'if' but 'when'. And once Tony finds her, then there will be real hell to pay!"

"Tony?" I asked, reaching the foot of the stairs, my eavesdropping forgotten. "Father, you know where Tony is?"

"Now look what you have done!" Father raged at Elvis. "You foolish idiot!!!"

Elvis glared at me in disgust, shrugged petulantly and went to pour himself a drink.

I ignored Elvis' rudeness and Father's anger.

"Father..." I begged, placing my hand on his arm once I slowly made my way down the stairs. "If you know where Tony is, you must send him here. These lapses in my memory...somehow I know that he can help me figure things out. And I miss him so much. Please send for him."

I couldn't help but cry as I asked Father for help. Suddenly, nothing was more important than getting back to Tony. Nothing.

"I miss him, Father!" I sobbed. "I need to see him."

"Renee, please!"

"I don't care about Anna," I lied. "If he's really happy with her, I can live with that. I just need to see him...as a friend, that's all."

"Renee, the feelings you have towards Tony are unnatural! I cannot allow you two to be together. Don't you understand that?"

I shook my head, confused again. Father kept saying that. But Tony wasn't really my brother after all, right? So why did he keep saying that it was wrong for us to see each other? And whenever I confronted him about it, he talked in circles.

"But we're not related, Father!" I cried out. "What is so unnatural about it?"

"Oh...!"

Father grasped at his chest as if he was in pain.

"Father..." I cried out in panic. "Are you okay?"

"Ahh, my heart! I can't breathe! You must get Rolf for me at once!"

I looked at Elvis in panic. My half-brother merely smirked and turned his head away.

"Elvis!" I called out. "Don't just stand there! Get Rolf!"

Elvis did not move, but merely called out Rolf's name.

"Thanks a lot," I snarled. "Some help you are."

Rolf at once appeared and escorted Father up the stairs, insisting that he not be disturbed.

"How could you be so cavalier about Father?" I cried out to Elvis indignantly. "Don't you even care that he might be having a heart attack?"

Elvis laughed with no real humor.

"And Father thinks you are fit to be Queen of the DiMera Empire..." he sneered. "When you are such a simpleton that you can't even see through his cheap theatrics!"

"You think he was faking that?"

"I have no doubt of it."

"Why would he do such a thing?"

Elvis opened his mouth as if he were about to tell me, but then seemed to think better of it and turned away.

"What is going on around here that I don't know about?" I asked him.

"There is a great deal going on that you don't know about, dear sister," he answered snidely. "But I don't have time to explain it all to you. You're so loony you'd likely forget it all anyway with your messed-up mind!"

"Why do you hate me so much, Elvis?" I asked sadly. "We barely even know each other. And yet you seem to despise me."

For a moment, he seemed moved by my brutal honesty.

"I suppose you could call it sibling rivalry," he answered before walking towards the door to leave.

"Please don't go..." I begged. "Please..."

"I have nothing to say to you!"

"Look..." I started. "I know that Father's been trying to put us in some sort of competition against each other. And I suspect it's his way of dealing with you somehow. But I want you to know that I don't care about any of that. I have no interest in running the family business. In fact, once the baby is born, I really feel like I need to move out of here and live my own life. So you don't need to be so damned jealous of me because this is not my war!"

Elvis studied me with cold detachment.

"I believe you may mean that..." he admitted.

"I do," I said quickly. "I won't lie to you. I like having power and money. When I was a young girl in Georgia, I grew up poor without anything. But I don't particularly care to run this DiMera Empire, no matter how much Father wants me to."

"So you say."

"If you want, I'll leave here and never see Father again..."

"Really?" Elvis sneered.

"Yes, on one condition."

"And that condition is?"

"You know where Tony is."

Elvis admitted nothing, still watching me with those icy eyes.

"I know that there's something else going on here. Something that Father is hiding from me. You said something to Father just now...about Tony finding me. So he is looking for me, isn't he?"

Elvis was deep in thought, not committing to any answers. And yet, I was getting to him somehow.

"Elvis, if Tony is looking for me, you must tell him where I am. I know that he can help me with this partial amnesia. You see...some parts of my past I remember so clearly. But other parts, important parts, are a blank. It's maddening and scary and confusing. I know that Tony can help me figure it all out. Father said that he's married to Anna now and living in Europe. But that's not true, is it? If that were so, he wouldn't be looking for me, right?"

He nodded decisively

"You're right, Leigh. Tony is looking for you. The marriage to Anna was a lie constructed by Father. He doesn't want you to be with Tony again...for his own reasons. But I will bring him to you if you do as you say. If you leave this house and stay out of Father's life. Perhaps then we could all get what we want."

"Oh, Elvis!" I rushed to him and hugged him. He was as stiff as a board in my embrace but I didn't care. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Tony will make everything right. I know he will."

Elvis seemed apprehensive but determined to see this through.

"I'll be in touch."

I called out to my half-brother once more before he could leave.

"Elvis?"

"Yes?" he sighed with exasperation. "What now?"

"Just one other question. Why did you call me by my mother's name?"

"Your mother?" he asked in confusion.

"Yes. You called me 'Lee'. That was Emily's other name that she used to go by. Why did you call me that?"

For a moment, Elvis looked at me with what I thought was pity in his eyes. But that was impossible. He couldn't have that much of a heart.

"Lee...Renee..." Elvis shrugged. "I can't keep all of you Dumondes straight. Father has a new son or daughter pop up out of the horizon every other year. I've long since stopped worrying about names.'

"Oh."

But as I watched Elvis leave, I knew that I didn't believe him. Just one more unanswered question to torture me.


	31. The DiMera Heir

**Ch. 31 - The DiMera Heir**

About a week after my conversation with Elvis, I woke up with a start.

I felt a twinge right before my water broke. The time had come.

"Rolf!" I called out frantically. "Stefano! Somebody!"

"Renee..." Father cried out, rushing to my room. "Is it the baby?"

"I think so!"

Father went to get Dr. Rolf at once.

The next twelve hours seemed to go on forever with no one but Dr. Rolf in the room to keep me company in my bedroom. First, there were the waves of labor pains that seemed to be breaking my back. Rolf gave me an epidural, but it seemed to make me itch out of my skin more than relieve any pain. The pushing was frustrating and exhausting, seeming to go on forever.

Finally, after forever had passed, the baby was born.

I swear I could hear the child cry before it was even out of my body all of the way. Rolf placed the crying infant in my arms.

"A boy!" Rolf cried out. "How wonderful! Stefano will be so pleased!"

At first, I was simply reeling in shock at the sight of the baby. Of course, I knew that the he was a living breathing human being, but it wasn't until now that my son seemed real.

Oddly enough, the baby stopped crying once he was in my arms. For a moment, he seemed to calm down as he studied my face. Perhaps I was so exhausted from the labor that I was imagining things, but the newborn seemed to look up at me with recognition and confusion. He seemed to somehow know that with me he was safe. And the child's expression was so familiar to me somehow.

Then I was the one who began to cry like a baby at this miracle of life.

The child was uncommonly beautiful, almost unnaturally so. Even with blue hands and feet and covered in goo, he was so innocent and sweet-looking. I was surprised to see that he had a full head of hair, dark black...and that his complexion, although pale, was noticeably darker than mine.

That was when the epiphany hit me.

This child did not look at all like David...and not that much like me either.

No, the baby took after his father.

He looked like Tony DiMera.

I gasped in shock at the realization. How was it possible?

"Let me tend to the child. We still have the placenta to come out, yes?"

Still tortured by more pain and cramps during this last phase of labor, I could not help but think about Tony and this baby...linked together.

Tony was this baby's father.

I knew it.

I knew...

And suddenly it was as if a door opened in my mind.

A rush of memories came to me. I remembered Tony reaching down to feel my tummy as the baby kicked for the first time in an inn on the outskirts of Italy. I remembered our wedding and our vows of love. I remembered hearing his words of how he had longed to be a father as we raced along the streets of Salem in his limousine. I remembered making love to him, being so scared and excited and enchanted all at once. I remembered seeing him for the first time in the bunker, sure that he would kill me. I remembered...

I remembered!

"I know you are in pain, Renee..." Rolf remarked at my loud gasp. "But it is natural. You shall recover well enough. You made it through like a champ, ja?"

Renee! He called me Renee!

Then I realized just what Stefano had been trying to do. How ironic that some time ago, I had accused Tony of trying to make me into her. And Stefano DiMera had nearly succeeded in doing just that! He must have brainwashed me just like John Black and Hope and all of the others, somehow implanting my mind with her memories. How he had managed to do this with the memories of a dead woman eluded me. But it seemed like with Stefano, anything was possible.

"How is the baby?" I cried out.

"The baby is doing just fine."

"Where is he?"

"With Stefano, of course," Rolf answered matter-of-factly. "You should know there would be no keeping your father away."

The thought of that crazed maniac, grandfather or no, holding my child made me frantic. But I had to keep a cool head. Just like Andre had pretended to be Tony for all that time, I should have to pretend to be Renee. My life...and my baby's life...depended upon it.

-----------------------------------

I hated seeing Stefano holding my baby, but I had to pretend otherwise.

"Ah, Renee!" he beamed. "Thank you! Thank you for blessing me with such a beautiful grandson!"

"He is beautiful, isn't he?"

I was at a loss for words. Truly, Stefano's reprehensible actions towards me left me speechless. What had he hoped to achieve by making me into Renee? Often he had spoken of having me learn all about the DiMeras and the Empire. Was that truly what he had wanted of me? And how could he have thought such a plan would work?

"Renee..." Stefano narrowed his eyes as he rocked the baby. "Is everything all right? You look rather odd."

I covered with a laugh.

"Well, I did just go through twelve hours of labor. After that, anyone would look odd."

"You are right, of course," he laughed. "Rest, my child. You are fortunate that you are here; and not miserable at some horrible hospital somewhere. You can rest and recover at your leisure and needn't worry about a thing. And we have plenty of servants here who know exactly how to take care of little Santos."

Oh, yes.

I remembered that Stefano and I had agreed to name the child 'Santos' in honor of Stefano's father. But that was when I thought I was Renee.

But Tony and I had wanted to name the child 'Gino', in honor of Tony's good friend, Eugene Bradford. I had only met Eugene once...when he came to our wedding. He seemed to be a very nice man, eccentric and brilliant. I also loved the actor Gene Kelly...so the name of Gino was fine with me.

But for the present, I should have to call my son by the name of Santos.

And all I could do was silently cringe as I watched Stefano hold my baby in his devil's grasp.

--------------------------------------

Having a baby takes a lot out of a person. Add that the realization that you've been kidnapped and brainwashed and that let to double the amount of stress. Weeks went by. Weeks of having to learn to take care of this newborn child...and to keep up the charade of being Renee.

I slept long and deep, despite the anxiety. Because despite my worries, I was more exhausted than anything else.

That is why Tony had such a hard time waking me up.

"Leigh..."

I thought I heard his voice, but I knew I had to be dreaming.

"Leigh!"

It was no dream!

"Tony!" I gasped, awakened in the middle of the night.

There he was before me, all dressed in black, smelling of cologne.

"You're real? You're really here?" I babbled as he held me close in a tight embrace.

"Thank God I found you!" he crooned. "The baby? Is the baby okay?"

I turned on the lamp on the side of the bed.

"See for yourself."

"Ooohhh..."

Words could not express the look on Tony's eyes as he gazed upon the sleeping child in the bassinet.

"He's so incredible!"

"Yes."

"I want nothing more than to hold him and get to know him, but..." Tony swallowed back tears as he looked at me. "We've got to get you both out of here now."

"Yes."

"I'm so relieved I found you. If it hadn't been for Elvis..."

"So Elvis did help me?"

I was grateful to EJ, even though I knew he was only doing it for his own benefit.

"Tony, Stefano tried to brainwash me into thinking I was Renee. I've been pretending to be her for a long time now."

"I know. Elvis told me what Stefano has done. This time, I swear I shall kill him!"

Hurriedly, I got dressed and picked Gino up from the bassinet. He was mercifully still asleep and still quiet.

Tony and I left the bedroom with the baby, making good with our escape.

As we crept along, I saw the figure of Dr. Rolf lying along the side of the corridor.

"No, he's not dead," Tony said. "I just had to rough him up a bit so that we could get out of here."

I was impressed. Tony looked so calm and unruffled that I never would have guessed he had been in a fight.

Along we went until we reached the living room area. Suddenly, the lights flickered on.

"Not so fast, my friends."

Stefano had a gun pointed directly at us.

"You will take that child out of here over my dead body!"

"Oh, that we should be so lucky..." Tony hissed at the man who had raised him. "How dare you kidnap Leigh and try to take my child from me!"

"That child is a DiMera and will remain under this roof!"

"Father, please..." I begged.

Stefano laughed with contempt.

"Oh, stop the playacting, Leigh," he snarled. "As soon as the memories of your old life started to come back, I knew it was only a matter of time before you would remember everything. And I also knew that Elvis would betray me once again. But I commend you for your performance for the last few weeks. Unfortunately, you never have mastered the skill of outguessing your opponent, eh, Leigh?"

"That's where you're wrong, Stefano!" Tony answered. "You have been outguessed! Roman Brady, Abe Carver, John Black...all of you enemies are right outside of this mansion. They can't wait to bring you down just as you deserve!"

"You're lying!"

As if right on cue, we heard Roman's voice bellowing from outside.

"Stefano DiMera! Come out with your hands up!"

"It seems the Phoenix has risen for the last time," Tony answered with a smile. "And now you're going to get what you've had coming to you for ages!"

"If I am to go down, you shall go down with me!" Stefano cursed. "All three of you!"

"Stop bluffing, Stefano! You might kill us but you'd never kill Gino, part of the next DiMera generation."

"Wouldn't I?" he answered. "What good is a son of yours? You were always a disappointment to me! And you!"

Stefano glared at me.

"Perhaps if we had met sooner, my dear..." he admitted. "I could have been the father you had wished for. Perhaps we could have truly shared the same blood. But as long as your allegiance is to this...TRAITOR!...this can never be!"

He raised the gun threateningly, preparing to shoot.

Everything was happening so fast I barely had time to be truly afraid; but at this moment, I was terrified. I prayed for Tony and myself...but most of all, for poor innocent Gino who had only now just begun to live.

But Stefano hesitated. Suddenly, his eyes widened in terror and horror as he gazed upon some vision before him.

"No!" He cried out. "No! It is not possible!"

His last living word was one of disbelief.

"Renee...?"

He made a croaking sound as he began to fight for breath as he clutched at his chest.

But it was no use.

The Phoenix had at last fallen to the ashes, never to rise again.

--------------------------------------

_Six months later..._

"The house is so beautiful..." I sighed, smiling as I walked with Tony along the pathway winding away from the Aremid estate. Little Gino was comfortable sleeping in his father's arms, quiet at long last.

Tony was currently pursuing a project of restoring some of the old DiMera residences. Maison Blanche, Aremid and the mansion in Salem were all being restored to their former glory. He could not erase the crimes that he and his family had committed, but he was determined to live in the present. Along with this restoration project, he was once more giving to charities, trying to atone for his family's past. He even released his prisoner cousin, Andre, to the Salem Police. While Tony could have been imprisoned for his actions against Andre, the authorities in Salem seemed to turn a blind eye to this particular crime.

More than anything, Tony wanted to set a good example for our son, Gino.

The next DiMera heir...

"Well, we shall be back here in Aremid many times," Tony smiled. "Perhaps we could make this our summer home if you like."

I smiled, knowing that I would never get used to being rich. The idea of having more than one place to live just seemed unbelievable to me.

As I gazed along the beautiful gardens, I paused for a moment and gasped.

There, inside the new gazebo, I saw her!

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, touching my arm.

The image faded right before my eyes.

Shaking my head, I laughed.

"Nothing," I answered. "I guess I just thought I saw a ghost."

"Oh, Leigh!" Tony laughed. "Surely you don't believe all of those ghost stories about Aremid. That 'Woman in White' was Kristen's mother, Rachel. That was just a hoax engineered by Stefano. Surely you are schooled enough in our family history to know the truth about that."

"Yes, I know all about Rachel, Tony."

But the 'Woman in White' that I saw was not Kristen's mother.

The 'Woman in White' was Renee DiMera. She was standing in the gazebo, wearing a beautiful lace gown of white, her hair piled regally upside her head. As she held a bouquet of white roses, she gazed at the three of us.

And just for a brief moment, she smiled softly, having found some sort of peace and contentment at last...after so long...

Before she slowly faded away into the mists of Aremid...

**THE END**


End file.
